Doctor On Trial
by the-writer1988
Summary: The Doctor is convicted of murder on the planet Valafax. Can Rose and Martha find the culprit before the Doctor is executed for his crime? Part of my Choices-verse, not necessary to read 'Choices' in order to read this.
1. The Day Before

**A/N) Hello everyone! This is a brand new story, fully written and completed so expect updates every other day. This story is set within my 'Choices-universe' where Rose stayed with the Doctor after Doomsday. You do not have to read Choices to understand this story... you just have to know that Rose survived Doomsday. **

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**Title: **Doctor On Trial

**Rating: **T

**Set: **Between Evolution of the Daleks and The Lazarus Experiment

**Summary: **The Doctor is convicted of murder on the planet Valafax. Can Rose and Martha find the culprit before the Doctor is executed for his crime?

**Characters: **Ten, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones and a few original creations.

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**Chapter One: **_The Day Before_

"So," said Rose, placing her hands on the table and looking at Martha straight in the eyes. "What the hell are we gonna do?" She pulled her hair out of her face, as she sat in the chair. "Seven days. That's all we have. Seven days to find evidence and clear the Doctor's name. At sunset on the seventh day he'll be beheaded. Not a good prognosis at the moment."

Martha sighed, holding the ball point pen in her right hand that she had been using to make notes with. They didn't have much information on the Doctor's case, but according to an eye-witness the Doctor had been seen dumping the battered and bloody body of an eleven year old girl on the pavement outside her family's premises. Now, they knew at around that time the Doctor had been inside the TARDIS working, (they had phoned him minutes before, asking him to join them for an evening meal), but as he had stepped outside his ship to walk to their location, he had stumbled across the body. He hadn't just stumbled across the body: he had _fallen _on it, drenching his suit with the girl's slippery and leaking blood.

Unfortunately for the Doctor, a passer-by on the street at the time had yelled for help, while taking photographs of evidence of his guilt of him being the killer of the girl and the dumper of her body. The blood that had stained his suit only proved to the jury that he was guilty of kidnap, rape and murder. One other unrecognisable DNA had been found on the body, but the person was untraceable. After a week-long trial in which the Doctor had refused to admit he was guilty, the jury had gone by the evidence that had been presented before them by the prosecutors. The Doctor's stained clothes had not helped with his case. However the jury knew that another person had been involved with the girl's murder as that person's DNA had been found _inside _the girl but they couldn't identify it. But short of finding the real culprit, the Doctor had been found guilty of kidnap, rape and murder all because of his stained clothes. They just wouldn't accept that he had simply tripped.

Unfortunately for the Doctor, execution for such a crime was considered normal on this planet's society. Violent crimes of that sort were uncommon, and the criminals were dealt with harshly. Thankfully, the Doctor had been granted a reprieve from his imminent execution...until he had found out why he had been, leaving Rose and Martha utterly shocked at his sentence.

"There's only one thing we can do," said Martha, "and that's find the real killer."

"But how? We don't have access to police records! We're both lucky to not be charged with helping the 'murderer'! Seven days, Martha, that's all we have. How the hell are we gonna track the killer and bring him to justice when we have nothing to go on?" shouted Rose, frustrated, balling her hands into fists and slamming them down upon the table.

"Maybe we could ask for time to prove the Doctor's innocence?" asked Martha, completely at a loss for ideas.

Rose signed, running a hand over her weary face. "He's had the trial. The sentence has been passed. Heck, we weren't even allowed to see him in the run-up to the trial so we couldn't do any research of our own and they didn't publicise the case in the national papers! It was only in the court-room that we found out what he was accused of. And I really HATE this!"

Martha reached across the table to grasp her friend's hand. "It'll be alright."

"How can you be so sure?" demanded Rose vehemently. "He's going to be tortured by the family for his part in their daughter's death! And he did nothing wrong!"

"Then let's go and talk to the father," stated Martha. "It's the only option we have. Besides, the Doctor is still being held in jail – the family haven't collected him yet." She looked at her watch. "It's three-thirty. The father's coming to get him at seven. We've got time. I know he can't overturn his sentence but maybe he'll agree to not hurt the Doctor until we get back with evidence which we can then present to the police."

Rose was shaking her head. "He won't. To him, the Doctor killed his baby. He's already guilty in his eyes and he wants vengeance. Either way, the Doctor is still gonna be hurt by him. And that girl was rich, her father's going to have some nasty equipment at his disposal with the money he has."

"It's worth a try," pressed Martha, her dark eyes burning into her friend's. "If we don't, we'll be stuck on this planet forever. Do we really want that?"

* * *

The Doctor leaned back in his cell, his head resting against the cold surface of the wall. His wrists were chained together, and links trailed from the binders and locked into the wall. His ankles, too, met a similar fate. Murder. He had been convicted of murdering a little girl. All because he hadn't seen her body in the dark and his DNA had been found on her clothes. Admittedly, his lips had made contact with her cheek when he had fallen and the blood that had still been pouring from her open wounds had stained his favourite suit, mixing her DNA with his and vice-a-versa. If he made this out alive he would have to get another suit custom made.

He wore an orange jumpsuit, his clothes now stashed away in an evidence box to be burned at a later date. His sonic screwdriver, his psychic paper, his yo-yo, his banana, his glasses had all be confiscated as well. He knew that Rose and Martha had made a request to keep his stuff; however that had been denied by the authorities. He had to rely on them to clear his name.

However he had more pressing concerns to think about then his upcoming execution. The murdered girls' father – Baron Wilkinson – had made his intentions very clear. He wanted the Doctor to suffer the way his daughter had, but even worse, before he died. His daughter had been missing for seven days, and the coroner had reported that his daughter had been killed shortly before her body had been dumped outside their gates.

Baron was not a nice man, but he was well respected within the community, the Doctor knew that, judging by what he had seen of the man at his trial. He was facing seven days of intense torture before being executed at sunset. He was not looking forward to it. How the people could allow the man's wishes was beyond him. But the father wanted the killer to suffer and beg for mercy, which was something the Doctor wouldn't give him, especially considering he had not killed the girl anyway.

He heard footsteps approaching his cell and he knew it was nearly time for his collection. Informed that he would have one last meal before being taken, he had been allowed to request what he wanted. Knowing that it might _really _be his last meal if other evidence wasn't found, the Doctor had requested steak and chips with carrots and peas, topped with thick gravy, followed by a banana and a bowl of ice-cream.

The lock turned in the door and in walked a warden. He didn't even look at the prisoner, but placed the meal - that was on a red tray - within reaching distance, before backing out the door and locking him in once more.

"Well," the Doctor contemplated, "I'd better dig in." He reached for the tray and placed it on his lap, suddenly feeling queasy in his stomach. He _didn't _want this. He had to hope.

Hope that Rose and Martha were working on getting him out.

* * *

Baron Wilkinson was a proud man, a patient man, a well respected man, and most of all he was a family man. His wife, May, was now a broken woman, shattered by the brutal murder of her youngest and only daughter. Baron had three other sons, all of whom who would participate in the forthcoming sessions that would last seven days.

The man convicted of his daughter's murder, who had refused to give his name in court, except for a title of 'Doctor' would be arriving shortly at his residence. The chamber was ready, prepared for its imminent use. All high-profile Humarians, such as himself, had access to this equipment if they so wished. Baron was the first in a hundred years to request seven days to harm a sentient being, but what this Doctor had done to his precious girl... well, in his mind, it justified it. Humarians, by nature, were not a violent people. Once in a while one would come along and Baron liked to think he wasn't one. Baron's species had originated from planet Earth and Valafax, but when humans had colonised Valafax, the two species of Humans and Mians had started to breed with each other.

Humans had mated with Mians, birthing a new species: Humarians. Essentially human in appearance, the only three differences were the square-like eyes, the much smaller nose and three fingers and a thumb instead of the human equivalent of four fingers and a thumb on each hand. Before human colonisation, the Mians had been a peaceful loving species and it was believed that the humans had brought the violent nature with them, making the Humarians a mostly calm, peaceful people with the occasional violent one stirring up trouble once in a blue moon.

Baron sighed, rubbing a hand over his weary eyes. He missed his daughter so much. He remembered brushing her pink hair the day before she'd gone missing. All she'd done was take the rubbish out to the bin, but she had never returned alive. Baron blamed himself for that. If he hadn't asked her to... his precious baby would still be alive.

"Father?"

Baron lifted his gaze from the table he had been staring at. "Arka. What is it?"

"There are two _humans _wishing to speak to you. I think it is the two females who are friends with that _Doctor_."

"Did you ask what they wanted?" asked Baron. He couldn't deal with those two, not right now.

"They didn't say, they just want to speak to you," answered Arka. "Would you like them thrown off our property? I will call security and arrange it, if you say so."

"No," replied Baron, shaking his head. "I'll go out and speak to them. And Arka, stay at my back."

"Yes, father." Arka fell in line behind his father.

Arka had left the two girls standing on the porch of the house. Closer inspection revealed to Baron that the girls were tired and weary: they probably wouldn't put up much of a fight if one came to it. "Yes?"

The girl with blonde hair stepped forward, holding out her hand, a small smile on her face. "I'm Rose Tyler... I'm sure you recognise me from the court-room."

Reluctant as he was to touch the human's hand, Baron knew it would be offence to her if he didn't, but he immediately placed his hand back in pocket, mentally reminding himself to wash it once he had dealt with the two girls. "I do."

The girl called Rose steeled herself. "The Doctor didn't do it. He didn't kill your daughter. Please, just let me speak before you say something. I know I can't change your mind and that you believe the Doctor is responsible for your daughter's murder. I've travelled with that man for years and he's saved billions of people from dying. He's never killed unless he had to. And killing a little girl, he would never do. I _know _him. But..." She took a deep breath. "What if Martha and I can prove to you that he has nothing to do with this and it is all an innocent mistake?"

Baron raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms. "How do you intend to prove your _friend's _innocence?"

The girl laughed falsely. "See, that's the problem we don't know how... and we need your help for that. Someone else was involved."

"The DNA is not recognisable, nor can it be identified. They matched your friend's DNA though," replied Baron, harshly.

"That's because he FELL on her and they had him in custody!" shouted the blonde girl, angrily.

"Rose," said the other girl, her skin dark. She pushed Rose back. "Mr Wilkinson, we don't know much about this planet or its customs. We only came here for a fleeting visit. We only arrived a few hours before the Doctor stumbled on her body. But we know there is some sort of underground network... If we could get in contact with that network, the real culprit could be hiding among them. If we can match a sample of the other DNA with someone..."

"You still wouldn't be able to prove that your friend is innocent," snapped Baron, his eyes flashing. "His DNA was on my daughter's cheek!"

"Truth serum," said the blonde girl, Rose. "Doesn't your government have a small supply of that?"

"They do," replied Arka, "but it's only used in extreme cases."

"This is an extreme case," snapped Rose. "You could kill someone who is innocent!"

"If we can bring you the real culprit and you use it on them – and the Doctor – will it be enough to prove his innocence?" asked the other.

Baron licked his lips, his eyes slits. "Only if this other person's DNA matched what was found _inside_ my daughter. People can fight the truth serum and lie through it if they have a strong mind."

"If we have a sample of the DNA..."

"...you'll match it to the real killer?" finished Baron, smugly.

"Yes," nodded the other girl.

"And you expect me to provide this sample for you?"

Rose shrugged. "We can't exactly get hold of a sample ourselves... I'm sorry about your daughter, but if you execute the wrong man and you find out later who really did it, won't you regret ending his life prematurely without giving us a chance to gather evidence that might clear his name?"

"You could have done this before his trial," pointed out Arka.

"No one would tell us what he was charged with," replied the black girl. "We only found out in court, and we only managed to get in by pure luck. By then it was too late. But we have seven days till he is executed. We're not asking you to not do what you want to do with him – we both know there is no way you will – all we're asking for is for you to help us get hold of that DNA sample and let us have it. And if you can, give us any names connected to the network we heard about. That's it. If we don't have any evidence by the end of the seven days, all we ask for is that you let us say goodbye to him because he has made our lives better. And we owe it to him to try to clear his name."

Baron stayed silent, musing over what he had heard. The Doctor hadn't had anyone to defend him, which was unusual... no one had stepped forth with evidence to back up his statements, though his crime hadn't been widely put out... It had been the Doctor's word against his prosecutors and the evidence was more than staggering to convict him. He made a decision. He'd give them a chance. He was a fair man after all. "Very well. I will contact my other sons to bring the DNA sample. I'll contact the police commission and give them my authority that I want it released. You were correct in assuming I will hurt your friend. If you find evidence that he is innocent then I'll pay for any treatment that he may need to recover. It won't dent my finances. However, if you cannot find any evidence, these are _my _terms. Both you and your friend," he looked pointedly at Rose, "will serve as maidens in my household for five years. And, for the duration of your investigation I will send my son, Arka, with you."

To his son's credit, he did not protest. Arka would understand the need for him to keep watch over the girls, just in case they faked any evidence and accused an innocent Humarian of murder.

"There will be no negotiation for these terms. If you don't take them, then I will not _help _you," said Baron, ensuring that his eyes bored deep into the two girl's eyes.

The two girls exchanged glances. "We accept," said Rose, though he could see a fire brewing behind her pupils. It was not something they wanted but since they were asking for his help, he had the upper hand. He could have requested for them to marry one of his son's after all...

"Good," he smiled softly. "Come back tomorrow. The sample will be with me by then. And it will give Arka time to make some arrangements before departing with you."

"Thank you," said Rose, bowing her head slightly.

_So they have read up on our customs, _thought Baron. He watched as the two girls departed, walking back to the open gate. He waited till they were gone, before stepping back inside the house, his son at his side. "You don't mind missing out on the fun, do you?"

"No father. I must admit I was looking forward to giving him a few pot-shots, but it will be even more fun to see his friends fail in finding evidence that clears that Doctor's name," laughed Arka.

"Don't hinder them, Arka. Look at them from a different angle. Find out more about this Doctor and his friends if you can..."

"Which he isn't father," interrupted Arka. "He killed my little sister. I hope you are planning on keeping his head when he is executed. I look forward to thrusting it in front of those human's faces when they begin working for you."

Baron chose to ignore his son's comment. He was angry and upset. Little Yarien had been the apple of his eye. "Keep an open mind. Don't let your hatred towards humans get in the way."

"If humans hadn't bred with us in the first place, we wouldn't have these emotions! I wish I was a full Mian," snapped Arka, his eyes darkening, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself and the hatred that had flared up in his eyes, disappeared.

Baron tapped his son on his shoulder. "We're working on it. You've done a fantastic job of containing your anger and your violent nature. Don't let me down."

Arka took a deep, shuddering breath. "Thank you, father, for believing in me."

**To be continued... **

**Please let me know what you think! **

**More soon, **

**the-writer1988**


	2. The First Day

Next chapter here... please do review if you are reading...

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**Chapter Two: **The First Day

Sunrise on Valafax: the golden rays of the heated sun warmed the planet below, giving light to its occupants that were just emerging from the night cycle. Humarians went about their business, taking their children to school, while mothers and fathers worked to bring in the required income they needed to raise a family.

On the edge of this busy environment, as the streets blared to life, stood Rose Tyler and Martha Jones, sleep deprived and on tenterhooks. They waited by the mansion gates, waiting for their companion to join them. They had already been given the DNA sample a few minutes ago by Baron, who had retreated back inside.

Looking up at the house, her eyes focused upon the eagle statues that stood on the roof. For some reason it made Rose shiver. Somewhere in that house was the Doctor, probably right at this very moment being tortured to an inch on his life and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Rose?" asked Martha, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Rose nodded. "As best as I can be in these times."

"He'll be fine," soothed Martha. "He won't die."

"You really believe that?"

"'Course I do. We're going to get the evidence. I just know it. I'm choosing to believe that anything is possible right now."

"You don't think that Baron's son is going to try to stop us from finding evidence?" questioned Rose. "I don't think he likes us very much."

"Who would?" stated Martha. "We're trying to help the man who was convicted of his sister's murder. But if we play our game right we will win him over. What we need to find out about is the Underground we've heard so much about. For a species that isn't particularly violent, I'm surprised they even have one."

"Every society has its secrets," mused Rose. "And they're part human. We must get pretty violent in the future to cause the Mians to become unstable through breeding with us. Maybe those identified with that risk go underground and live away from normal society. But once in a while, one gets itchy and comes out of hiding and attacks?"

"Or an ordinary member of society who isn't classified as dangerous suddenly snaps... and the underground takes them in because its there to protect the innocents," added Martha, smiling broadly. "Because of the lack of crime, only a few Humarian DNA is stored in records, we know that. So the real killer's ID wouldn't be on a database, unless they have shown violent tendencies in the past, right?"

"Yeah... so it could be anyone? We can't exactly go around testing everyone's DNA in the hope that the real killer we be one of them," said Rose.

"You're right. I didn't that through particularly well."

Rose patted Martha on the shoulder. "That's okay. We're both tired and we both want to get off this planet, preferably with the Doctor intact."

Ahead of them the mansion door opened and out-stepped Arka. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with a black leather jacket on. He marched towards them, a sullen expression on his face but as soon as he reached them, his face widened into a smile and he lifted up his right hand, brandishing cuts made to the knuckles.

"Morning, Humans! I've just been beating up your friend. I had to change my clothes because his blood stained them so much, and oh, look, I hurt myself too. I would have cut his jugular vein and watched the blood pour from his body...but I know my other brothers and my father want to have some fun with him before his head is removed from his body." He grinned, clearly baiting them on.

"Let's just get this over with so we can leave this planet with the Doctor in one piece," said Rose, trying to reign in her temper. She could tell that Arka was going to keep saying things like that throughout their investigation, trying to tempt them into losing their anger and doing something they would regret. Walking away, Rose led Martha down the street, with Arka trailing behind them.

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The Doctor was tied to a chair, his wrists pulled back behind him, thick rope wound around them. Blood fell from his nose. He was sure it was broken. The Humarian who had identified himself as Arka had spent the best part of an hour pummelling him in the face, chest and stomach and had even kicked him where males really didn't want to be kicked. It still hurt. Blood stained his orange prison overalls.

He was surrounded by equipment – torture equipment – and he really didn't like the look of those needles that were situated to the right of him.

"Good morning."

The Doctor looked up and saw Baron Wilkinson standing in the cell's doorway. "I can't say it has been a good one for me..."

"Yes, my eldest son Arka is quite violent. It's not known to the general population. He has a lot of anger, a side-effect of us being half Human, half Mian. It is unfortunate that my son has been affected by this ailment. It's a shame really that he has to be contained and not allowed out in case he lets loose. But he's done well lately to control himself," smiled Baron, obviously pleased by his son's progress. "I've assigned him to accompany your friend's while they look for evidence that will prove your innocence."

"You've spoken to Rose and Martha?" asked the Doctor. He had not been informed of this. Arka had seemed such a gloating type...

Baron brushed his fingernails with a brush he had extracted from his pocket. "I have. They are looking for evidence to prove your innocence, if there is any. Considering seven days is hardly enough time to gather suitable evidence, you won't be seeing them again. Well, maybe just before the executioner takes your head off."

"And if I die and am ultimately proven innocent later on..." the Doctor started.

"Then I'll deal with if and when the time comes," interrupted Baron. He turned towards a table, that was scattered with knifes of all shapes and sizes. He picked up a small one, but it was sharp.

The Doctor's eyes widened as Baron grabbed his hair, wrenching his head back and exposing his throat. "What are you doing? I thought I wasn't been killed for a few more days yet!"

"This," said Baron, without explaining further.

The Doctor felt blood trickle down his neck. He was being marked. Baron was giving the executioner a line to go by... where to cut on the day of his execution. This man was so convinced he was guilty he was willing to prepare him, seven days before it.

The bloodied knife was placed back on the table, amongst the clean ones.

Baron stood in front of the Doctor, an uneasy look on his features.

"You feel guilty about doing this to me, don't you?" said the Doctor, meeting his torturer's gaze. "You want me to be guilty so you can do what you want to me without feeling like its wrong, that you're getting vengeance for your daughter's death. Am I right?"

Baron exploded in a fit of rage. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! You are guilty of her death! You killed my precious baby." He sunk his head into his hands. "Why did I acquire that DNA sample for your friends? The law is never wrong. There is too much evidence against you! You may not have raped my daughter, but you were involved!"

"I fell on her in the dark!" shouted the Doctor, his own temper raised.

"Yes, you did! You fell on her and took away her innocence!"

"It was dark," said the Doctor coolly."There were no lights where your daughter was. DNA can be passed on through open wounds and your daughter had them. If I killed your daughter I would have admitted it. I've done other – worse things in my life – things you would never understand, but that is one thing I'm not: a liar. If I was guilty of something, I'd admit to it. But I did nothing to your daughter."

Silence echoed in the air.

Prisoner and captor stared at one another, sizing each other up.

"Maybe that's why I decided to help your friend's getting hold of the other DNA sample. I want to believe you are guilty and I want to hurt you for what you did to my little girl. But I also want to know the truth." He turned away from his prisoner. "It's happened once before. Someone was convicted of murder and executed. Ten years later it was found he was innocent and the family of the victim deeply regretted believing what they were told about the executed man. The family, in the end, committed suicide because they couldn't stand the guilt."

The Doctor sighed. "I won't blame you if you want to hurt me... I understand what it's like to lose loved ones. You want revenge. If I'm ultimately proven innocent, I want you to know that I won't hold it against you for whatever you do to me now." He couldn't make Baron change his mind, but he could at least make him feel guilty, especially if he forgave him in advance.

Baron looked back at the Doctor, his eyes weary. "I will be back later. Consider yourself lucky you've got a reprieve because this session would have lasted a lot longer if we hadn't had our little chat."

_It gave him a little food for thought, _mused the Doctor.

* * *

Surprisingly, when asked for information, Arka was more than willing to give it to them, if he knew the answer. They had decided, mutually, that Martha would ask Arka if he knew anything about the Underground. They had learnt many interesting things. The Underground had been formed when the first Humarians had first started to show signs of instability. A leading doctor had set up a help group for them, which had slowly expanded to an underground base located beneath the city. If a murder was committed and the killer identified, execution was the only solution, however if one was to only harm another Humarian, they would be sentenced to a minimum of ten years in jail and a maximum of twenty-five, depending on how severe the injuries inflicted were before being exiled from society and placed within the care of the Underground.

Arka had told them that the government chose the people who run it very carefully. Reports were made about their progress and whether they considered any to be a threat in the future. It was a system that Rose did not agree with, but considering that murders and violence was relatively low, it did show that keeping them away from normal society was working.

It was midday and the two companions and their 'guide' sat at a table in a local pub, drinks in front of them waiting for their contact to arrive. Arka did know where the entrance to the Underground was, however one required pass codes to be admitted, which he did not have. So they had to wait, wasting time while the Doctor was being tortured.

They had been sitting there quietly for over an hour when a shadow fell over their table.

"Redar!" grinned Arka. "It's been a long time since I last saw you!"

Tall, skinny, and with a fluff of purple hair, and bright orange eyes, Redar pulled up a chair and sat down at their table, placing his drink upon the wood; his eyes running over both Rose and Martha, inspecting them. "It was only last week we saw each other, Arka."

"Still a long time for me, old buddy," replied Arka, hastily.

"So, what brings you to want to enter the Underground?"

Arka nodded towards the two females. "Them."

"We believe that you have a killer and a rapist within your community," started Rose. "Our friend has been accused and convicted of murder. He is to be executed in seven days, but we both know he is innocent."

"Was your friend's DNA found on the body?" asked Redar, his eyebrows rose as he spoke.

"Yes," replied Martha, indignantly, "but he fell on top of her."

"That's what they all say," Redar grinned. "Face it, your friend is a killer. You may as well let them lop his head off instead of believing the unthinkable."

Rose leaned forward, her eyes hard, and her lips thinned. "We only arrived on this planet a few hours before the body was found. Martha and I went shopping and called the Doctor, who stayed within the confines of his ship to do some repair work. We called him up to join us for a meal. He came out, it was dark and he tripped over a body, falling on top of her. We know he is not capable of killing an innocent girl. Now, are you gonna give us these damn codes so we can find the real murderer or what?"

"Woah, you've got a feisty one there, Arka!" laughed Redar, patting his friend on the back. "Let's hope she doesn't make you lose your temper!"

"I've never had a temper, Rey, you know that," scowled Arka, his voice sharp. "I find it offensive you think I'd have a temper like those criminals down in the Underground."

Redar shrugged, reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Rose. "Here. All the codes you need. There are six codes for the one entrance. One for getting in, in the morning: one for getting in for the afternoon and the same for the evening. The other three codes are for getting out of the Underground in the morning, afternoon and evening."

"Thank you," said Rose, slipping the piece of paper into her pocket.

"We'd better get going," said Martha, standing up from her chair. "We haven't got long. I'm sure you understand that."

Rose was uncomfortably aware that Redar was watching their backs as they departed the pub, and she couldn't help but wonder about him.

* * *

The Doctor had not been left alone. Oh no.

Baron hadn't returned. But his two other son's had come for a visit. They were wrecked with grief and their fury at him was indescribable. They had taken him from his chair and laid him upon the floor, cutting open his prison overalls, so that his back was exposed. Taking a knife each they had cut two deep marks in his flesh. Blood had poured from them, covering his back, his fingers slick with his own blood. What came after that was even worse.

Salt.

They had sprinkled salt directly into his wounds. He had not been able to hold back the scream that had erupted from his mouth. They had laughed at him, telling him he deserved it. Then purposefully both of them had reached down and dragged a finger each through the cuts exposed on his back.

This time, the Doctor had held back the cry, but he screwed his face up, panting horribly as pain wracked his body.

He didn't deserve this...

"Hey, bro, how about we suffocate him like he did to our sister? He deserves it after all," one of his torturers suggested.

"Father said not to kill him."

"We won't kill him. Teach him a lesson though."

The Doctor was swiftly rolled onto his back, the two brothers forcefully pressing his bloody and salted back down onto the cold stone floor. He groaned as agony washed through him.

"You don't like that, do you?" spat one of the brothers, his saliva falling onto the Doctor's face. "You shouldn't have done what you did to our sister then, should you?"

He didn't answer, just waited. There was no point in arguing. He wouldn't win anyway.

Cloth was wrapped around his head, restricting his air supply, preventing him from breathing in. He struggled for what it was worth. Stars danced in his head as he fought to breathe... and then the pressure lifted and he sucked in a deep breath, even as a foot kicked him in the head, sending him into total oblivion.

**To be continued...**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**More soon...**


	3. The Second Day

**A/N) I realise the torture might be uncomfortable for some... I was reluctant to include it in this story, however it was a request to be included in most chapters. I do apologise for this if you find some of the content uncomfortable.**

**Enjoy...**

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**Chapter Three: **The Second Day

Arka had convinced them to wait until the following day before they entered the Underground. He had exclusively paid for both Rose and Martha to have a room at the central hotel in the Main Street. But they didn't waste time that morning, instead urging Arka to do 'breakfast on the run'. He hadn't been pleased but complied with their wishes and led them through the quiet streets, taking them to the outskirts of the city were the entrance to the Underground was located.

The entrance was in an alleyway within an alleyway. It was a small metal door, with a locked key-code embedded into the wall. As they approached, Rose pulled out the piece of paper with the codes on them and held it up, moving forward to press 4-A-7-P-5-G into the pad before stepping aside as the door swung open of its own accord.

"Our guide first," said Rose, nodding to Arka to lead the way. "You know where you are going."

Arka stepped into the darkness, placing his hand against the wall as he descended the stairs. "Shut the door behind you," he instructed, even as the light from the outside was shut out by Martha closing it. Immediately, lights blared on above them, lighting their path onward.

"How many steps are there?" asked Rose as she stared downward, over Arka's shoulder. "It looks like it descends forever."

Arka shrugged as he trudged down the stairs. "It is two miles deep underground and then we take a locked lift that goes down ten miles further. The Underground was to keep people in, but there have been occasions when the 'inmates' have found their way to the surface and got out. It's quite rare, but when it happens it is quite a shock."

"Is it because a murder happens quite soon after?" asked Martha sarcastically, as she hugged her arms to herself, as a slight chill got through her clothes and onto her skin.

"Usually or a less serious crime occurs," added Arka, "but one that is bad enough to warrant attention to it by the media."

"Have you thought keeping them confined only urges them to hurt the ordinary people?" enquired Rose, pushing her hair back behind her ear. "I mean, it can't be good for their anger can it? They'd feel they were being punished just for having _normal _emotions."

Arka stopped on the stairs and turned to face his two companions, his eyes dark. "What do you expect us to do?" he spat. "Let potential murderers and rapists to run lose in the city where they can harm anyone they like at any given time?"

"No," said Rose, taking a stance, her eyes staring hard into the ones of their guide. "We would help them, but not confine them from society altogether. We would aid them as a family unit, to get through it and understand that emotions are good things. So what if anger gets the better of us? Not all people who have anger go onto commit crimes. In fact, the amount of humans that have gone on to commit crimes because of anger is very small. Yes, we bred with you, giving you some of the things you had never experienced before, but anger is not a bad emotion. Learning to control it is one of life's lessons. Confining those that show that 'instability' as you call it, will only make it worse. Keeping them within society would _prevent _them from doing anything rash, because they would know that the entire community is behind them _and _supporting them."

Arka's eyes blazed and Rose flinched, taking one step back. When he spoke his voice was low, but the menace in his tone was very clear. "We were a peaceful people when you humans came and took away everything. We became a species we are not meant to be. If we could, we would turn back the clock to stop that from ever happening to US!" His voice rose, and Rose instinctively grabbed for Martha's hand. "We WOULDN'T have had any crime if it hadn't been for YOU LOT! For the sake of our society we had to confine them! Anger or jealousy or madness or insanity was never part of our nature until you _humans _came along and _contaminated us with your diseased DNA_!" He turned away and continued to stomp down the stairs.

Martha leaned in close to Rose's ear. "Is it just me or did he just display symptoms of 'instability'?"

* * *

Cold, freezing water splashed over him, bringing him back to full awareness. He spluttered, spitting out the icy drips from his mouth as he pulled his head up from the position he had been left in. He blinked, trying to focus his upon the person standing in front of him.

Baron.

"Good morning," he said, calmly.

The Doctor didn't reply, clamping his mouth shut. Maybe if he didn't speak he could avoid the inevitable pain he was about to be put through once more?

"Ah, I guess after what my son's did to you, I shouldn't expect you to want to talk to me." His captor turned away, shoulders slumped.

"Wait," the Doctor rasped. "I'll talk." _Anything to avoid pain. _

Baron inclined his head as he turned back to face his prisoner. "Thank you." His voice was soft, almost forgiving, but there was a hint of darkness embedded within it. Baron knelt down and grasped the Doctor by the arms, helping him into a sitting position. "So they used the salt technique on you? Not very nice at all."

"You're the one who sanctioned it," said the Doctor, darkly.

Baron's face fell. "Actually, I didn't. They came of their own accord."

The Doctor frowned, wondering whether he should believe him or not. "Your son's said you had told them not to kill me."

"That is true _but _that was not last night. This was before we collected you from the prison," explained Baron. "We don't want you to die prematurely: unfortunately my sons would like nothing more than to hurt you and kill you. I assure you, if you were not scheduled for beheading in five days time, they would make the rest of your life last years and years before they finally took your life."

"Surely if they want me to suffer a lot before my death, they should be in here all the time?" questioned the Doctor.

"They would be, yes," nodded Baron, thoughtfully. "However my authority prevents them from doing so. As much as I'd like to see you suffer constantly until your death, I know that continual pain and torture could kill you before that. To that end, to ensure your survival for that time, we have to be careful, but we can take you to the brink of death and haul you back if we so dearly wish to."

"And you're not doing that because...?" probed the Doctor, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

Baron was silent, not answering.

"You've thought about what I said to you..." the Doctor assumed. "You don't want to damage me too badly in case you discover later on that I had nothing to do with your daughter's murder. You'd feel guilty over hurting me ... and you don't want that on your conscience. Am I right?"

Nodding, Baron turned his glance away, staring towards the wall. "Yes. You have forgiven me in advance for what I am allowing to be done to you: a murderer wouldn't do that."

"And it's made you wonder if you've made a mistake," answered the Doctor, "got the wrong man, too."

Baron didn't answer, but continued speaking: "However, my son's do desire vengeance. They will not be pleased if I revoke them of that right to take it out on you, just because you have given me pause for thought. I cannot take away their right to harm you, but I can take away their right to be here all the time. I want proper justice, and I will not sleep easily until I know for sure you really _did _kill my daughter."

"Hypothetical question here: what if I _really did _kill your daughter, wouldn't you regret not harming me yourself, especially if my friends can't find evidence to point to my innocence? Wouldn't you feel cheated that you haven't been able to take it out on me?" The Doctor cocked his head to the side, his intense brown eyes focusing upon his captor.

Baron walked slowly towards him and knelt down in front of him. "Are you trying to convince me to torture you, after I made it explicitly clear I would feel guilty about doing so if you were ultimately proven innocent?"

"No," the Doctor said, hastily, his voice squeaking a little above pitch. "I was just wondering."

"Consider yourself lucky you don't have me to contend with. My son's on the other hand will be here later tonight, unless they flounce the rules yet again and come down earlier, which considering their hatred of you, I wouldn't mind betting on." Baron got to his feet, brushing his hands down his suit. "I suggest you get some rest. You will probably be in for another long and painful night."

"Great," whispered the Doctor, as he watched Baron exit his cell, closing it behind him. Carefully, avoiding touching the floor with his back, the Doctor lay out in the most comfortable position possible and closed his eyes, praying that he could at least get some healing done before his erstwhile torturers returned to torment him some more.

* * *

The lift doors opened and Martha, Rose and Arka emerged into an alleyway. They walked forward, coming out into a street.

"Aren't we underground?" asked Martha, looking up. "Because if we are, why are there clouds above us?"

"It's a projection," explained Arka, "simulating the weather above the surface. If it is turned off, all you'll see will be a ceiling. It gives those down here some semblance of normality."

"Pfft," said Rose. "Hardly normality when they get no fresh air or the real sun baking down upon their bodies!"

"We cycle oxygen, pure and fresh down through filters. It gives the impression they are above the surface and not below it. It placates them."

"Basically," observed Martha, "they are going even more insane by being stuck down here."

Arka refused to say a word, and instead paced forward out into the street. A few people were walking along the road: one woman was twitching, mumbling under her breath and as they passed her, Rose noticed the woman turn her stark attention towards her. She hurried along, wanting to get out of this place now, but understanding that if she left, they wouldn't be able to find and collect the evidence that would lead to the Doctor's freedom.

"Feeling nervous?" smirked Arka.

Rose huffed. "They don't like being here!"

"Then your people should have thought of the consequences you brought upon us when you mated with us!" he responded, spit flying from his mouth.

Martha leaned in to whisper in her friend's ear. "He really does have something against us..."

Rose nodded, keeping her eyes on Arka's back. "I think he might be affected too by the 'instability' we have _apparently_ inflicted upon them. It makes me wonder..."

"Wonder what?" whispered Martha, eager to know exactly what Rose was thinking.

"It's nothing." Rose shook her head. "Don't worry about it." She raised her voice. "Hey, Arka, where are we goin' anyway?"

"To the people in charge of this whole operation," he retorted. "They might be able to tell you if anyone left this place in the lead up to my sister's murder. They'll have a record if anyone is missing. But if that was the case then the authorities would have been alerted above and the details of the person issues to the public so they can keep a look out for them."

"But they weren't, which is another mark against the Doctor," stated Martha.

"Exactly," said Arka, throwing them a smile over his shoulder. "The evidence piles up against him."

"We'll see," added Martha, her eyes narrowing in contempt as they continued to follow their guide through the streets of the underground city.

They were running out of time, and they both knew it.

* * *

"I'm sorry Miss Tyler, but there have been no breakouts before that day or on the day of that poor child's murder. I'm afraid you are looking into a black hole here." The female Humarian turned scarlet eyes onto Rose, her mouth turned downwards in a sad smile.

"So, basically, there is nothing my friend or I can do for the Doctor?" she asked. This _couldn't _be the end.

"I'm sorry, but he's guilty. He's not even one of our species, Miss Tyler. I suggest you and Miss Jones just forget about this little race and finding evidence. There are more important things you could be doing now," said Professor Hejay. She reached forward to take Rose's hand, but she pulled her hand away.

"No, I won't believe it. _Something _is going on here and I intend to find out what. You're keeping something a secret," accused Rose, her eyes barely in slits.

"Rose..." said Martha gently, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Rose shrugged it off. "No. I see it in your eyes, _Professor_. And if you aren't willing to help us save an innocent life then we'll find someone else who will!" Rose turned away from the Professor that Arka had brought them to see. "Come on, Martha, we need to find accommodation for the night. We have things to discuss."

_Enough of the games, it's about time I let Martha in on my suspicions, _thought Rose as she dragged Martha through the Professor's office door.

"What about Arka?"

Rose glanced over her shoulder at Arka, who was standing next to the Professor. "If you know Humans well, you won't come and find us until tomorrow morning!"

And with that, Dame Rose Tyler of the Powell Estate, marched from the office, pulling Martha along behind her.

**To be continued... **

**Please let me know what you think! **

**the-writer1988**


	4. The Third Day

**A/N) My apologies, I have been away and have had no access to the internet. Here is the next chapter... **

* * *

**Chapter Four: **The Third Day

It was just after midnight in the Underground when Martha and Rose checked into a small hovel that was being rented out by a lovely old couple. Once Rose and Martha had explained their situation, the couple had only been too happy to allow them free residence.

"Would you like some tea?" asked the woman whose name they quickly learnt was Vicky. She had curling grey hair, and her eyes were a shining pale red. She smiled warmly at them as both girls shook their heads.

"No, thank you, we'd just like to sleep," said Rose, stretching out on the blanket that the woman's husband, Marius had provided for them. "We've got a long day tomorrow."

Vicky bowed and stepped out the room, but Martha spoke up just as she was about to shut the door.

"Excuse me, I was just wondering, why are you and your husband down here? You don't look like a couple who have instability problems?" asked Martha.

Vicky sighed. "We don't. We had an argument in public. Next thing we knew we were being dragged down here by the authorities. Apparently we were dangerous to the community at large. It's a police state that has got out of hand. We would help anyone who has been treated unfairly and from what you told us, your friend is one of those people."

Rose and Martha traded astonished looks. "That's just wrong," whispered Martha. "How could having an argument in public make people think you had the instability that our species apparently passed onto you?"

Shrugging, Vicky said: "I don't know. We were using raised voices and scaring the young ones with our yelling. We are classed as criminals for shouting in public and cut off from our friends and family. It's a sad world to be down here, while the community up there believes the worst of us. They don't understand that we all have anger. We had no crimes because we had a society built up in peace, but then the humans came, bringing with them criminals and murderers, letting them settle here and unlocking the emotions that we had learnt to keep buried deep inside of us. We always had the 'instability'. It was never passed onto us, but this theory isn't widely accepted. It all changed when the humans came, and they showed us the darker part of ourselves, but they never contaminated us."

"We just pushed you along," whispered Rose, nodding her head in realisation. How could this society have got it so wrong? How could they believe that humans had given them this instability? Emotions were something that couldn't easily be passed on. Whatever had happened when the humans had arrived, had left a profound effect on the Mians, which in turn had caused them to hate their new neighbours for affecting them with their varying emotions. She turned towards Martha, sadness reflecting in her gaze. "We've got a long haul ahead of us, haven't we?"

Martha nodded slowly, already understanding that their task had simply just got bigger. They had to fix a broken society and they only had days to spare before the one man who could help them would be executed for a crime he had not committed.

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Martha, after silence had reigned between them for what felt like hours on end.

Rose rolled over on the mattress, pulling her blanket with her. The hovel was more of a spare room then anything, but that was what Vicky and her husband called it. They lay on a double mattress, with a blanket each to cover their bodies; two pillows shared between them. "I think Arka was involved with his sister's murder."

Martha shot up. "What?" She stared down at her friend, the palms of her hands resting on the squishy pillow.

Rose continued to lie where she was, looking up at her friend. "I know it sounds ridiculous, especially since he idolised his sister... but I've noticed things about him. And I think Redar was involved too. But I don't have proof, other then what I've overheard and pieced together."

Martha crinkled her forehead, thinking hard. "But why would Arka harm his sister? Why would he kill her? And why wasn't his DNA found on her body?"

"That's what we need to find out... but we can't go chasing theories, not at a time like this," replied Rose, sadly. "If we waste time following this path, then the Doctor is as good as dead."

"But we can't afford to ignore what your intuition is telling you. If you think Arka is involved, then we have to follow it up," explained Martha. "But first, you have to tell me why you are suspicious of him. If you don't, how can we decide whether it is worth it to follow this up? This could mean between life and death for the Doctor."

"I know." Rose bit her lip, chewing on whether laying out the flimsy evidence she had seen was worth it. She sighed, knowing that if they didn't investigate what she thought was a viable lead, than they could end up regretting it. They could not afford to be complacent, not with the Doctor's life on the line.

"So, why do you think Arka might have murdered his sister?" asked Martha, intrigued by her friend's logic. "I know he yelled at you, showing the signs of the 'instability'..."

"Exactly," nodded Rose, "but there is more to it. Something Redar said."

Martha frowned. "He was the one who gave us the codes, right?"

"Yeah, I still have that piece of paper with his DNA on it," said Rose fishing the flimsy piece out of his pocket. "He said that he saw Arka just last week. Arka wasn't pleased by that at all, I saw it in his face. Also, Redar seemed pretty confident we wouldn't catch the real murderer. Redar also mentioned that he hopes Arka wouldn't lose his temper because of my feistiness. He's just like everyone else down here: somehow he has escaped their net. The DNA sample we have could belong to Redar."

"DNA samples are only stored on file if they are down here... and Redar isn't a resident. He's a worker..." said Martha. "And who would we get to test the DNA anyway? We can't trust that Professor Hejay, especially if she may be covering for them."

Rose smiled, glad that Martha had already caught onto her train of thoughts. "We need to find someone else who Arka _and _Redar are not close to, but who knows them well enough through their actions alone. She wasn't even willing to help us – she'd probably do everything in her power to protect Redar and Arka."

"If you're right about this, how can we prove it is them? How do we get them to confess?"

Rose pulled a face. "I have no idea. A trap probably."

* * *

Having decided on their next course of action, Rose and Martha slept the night away, waking in the early hours of the morning to find Vicky offering them a fully cooked breakfast. Well, by fully cooked breakfast it was really just bacon and eggs on buttered toast, but it was delicious none the less.

"So, what are you girls going to do today?" asked Vicky, as she cleaned the plates in the small sink provided.

Rose ran a hand through her un-brushed hair. "Can you keep a secret?"

Vicky nodded, pulling her hands out of the warm water and drying them before she sat down at the table in the centre of the kitchen. "I can."

"Good," said Martha softly. "You see... our companion, Arka, his sister died but Rose has reason to believe that he was involved in some way. But we need proof before we can confront him. If we don't have it, he can easily deny it. Do you know of anybody who knows Arka well enough but wouldn't protect him? We also need someone who might be able to give us a sample of Truth Serum, but we can't trust Professor Hejay..."

"Academic Jary Kalco, you'll need to see him on both accounts," said Vicky instantly. "I've always been suspicious of Baron's lads when I lived on the surface. Baron has influence that would _prevent _his sons from being sent down here. In fact, it is well known, among the city-dwellers that some people are even investigating trying to have their Human DNA taken from them, in order to restore them to what they should be. It was said through rumours that Baron's sons were involved in this project. But, be careful, there are many people who will seek to protect Baron and his son's. He has unimaginable wealth... but Jary Kalco is your best bet. He worked for Baron when his sons were smaller, so he'd know, but he is not one of the loyal few."

Rose smiled and took the women's hand in her own. "Thank you. If I could do anything to repay you, I would..."

"You can get my husband and I back up there," replied Vicky. "We'd love nothing more than to return home."

"I can't promise to do that," said Rose, sadly, "but we'll do our best."

Vicky only smiled in return.

* * *

The Doctor knelt in the centre of the room, his hands chained to the floor. He betrayed no pain, even as his head was lurched backwards, stretching his neck as far back as it would go. It was just inches from being snapped altogether. His eyes had been covered by a blindfold so that he could not see his torturers. He didn't even know their names.

One brother stood in front of him, the other holding his head in place. He felt cruel, sharp fingers trace his skin.

"Hey, bro, don't you think it would be brilliant if we _burnt_ him? To see his body burn..." The brother shivered. "Oh, man, Arka would love to be here to see this..."

"Too bad he's helping those whelps," chuckled the brother holding the Doctor's head in place.

"Rose and Martha are not whelps," stated the Doctor, anger in his voice. "They are intelligent, brilliant people! And when they come back with evidence to prove my innocence you'll regret whatever you're planning to do to me now!"

Fingers grasped his chin. "Do you really think that new evidence will save you? The words of justice have spoken! You killed our sister and you will suffer for it!"

The Doctor gasped as something hot pressed into the skin of his neck. One of the brothers had a rod and it was hot. They were pressing it against his skin, burning him. That was going to leave an ugly mark, but it would heal... He tried not to move, knowing that if he sat it out, the pain wouldn't hurt as much, but he knew the brother's wanted to hear him scream, and he wasn't going to give them that.

"Why don't you scream for us?" one asked. "The pain might go away... We might even go as far as to heal it..."

The rod was lifted from his neck and the Doctor heard the metallic clan as it hit the floor. Fingers prodded at the wounds. He winced. The side of his neck felt wet and he felt the trickle of blood seeping down. Hands reached up around his head and removed the blind-fold. He blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the bright light.

Dark sleek hair which he had inherited from his father, and with scarlet eyes, the second-born son of Baron Wilkinson stared down at him, his fingers slick with the Doctor's blood. A cruel smile tugged at his lips. "Hello, murderer."

"Still believing the worst of me?" hissed the Doctor.

His chin was grasped once more and his lips forced open. His eyes widened as the bloodied fingers of his captor forced their way into his mouth, forcing him to taste his own blood.

"How does that taste? Do you like your own blood, _Doctor_?" The brother pulled out his fingers, wiping them on his shirt, his fingers now devoid of the blood.

"I wish I could say yes to that..." replied the Doctor sarcastically, as he tried to get rid of the taste of his own blood in his mouth. Still, at least they hadn't made him drink it...

"Let him go, dear brother," said the one who had burnt the Doctor's throat.

The Doctor was shoved forward, hitting the floor hard. His head snapped onto the concrete and his vision blurred as pain pounded his skull. "Ow," he whispered. That was one hurt too many. He felt his eyes falling, closing to the world. Roughly, he was grabbed and hauled upright.

The blurry face of the other brother came into his vision but he couldn't respond; his lids almost closed as oblivion sought to overtake them. He could hear yelling, but couldn't discern the words, but he was sure, as darkness enveloped him that they were ordering him to not sink under the blackness that was slowly taking away his ability to cling onto the waking world.

Moments later, he was gone.

* * *

"You followed us?" Rose was livid, her eyes narrowed in contempt. "I told you not follow us!"

Arka rolled his eyes, arms folded across his chest, leaning back against the wall of the Tea Shop. "You only told me to come and find you this morning – I did."

"No, you didn't," accused Rose. "You followed us last night - or one of your lackeys did - otherwise you wouldn't be in the same road as us, so you knew exactly where we were."

"Believe what you want, but I didn't follow you. This place is full of security cameras. Everyone's movement is tracked and recorded. It wasn't that difficult to track your movements last night," replied Arka smugly. "I do have connections here, so I would have access to this stuff."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Look, we don't need your help. We can manage fine on our own. If you want to keep an eye on us then do so, but don't get in our way."

"It is my duty to ensure that you find out the truth," said Arka, smiling at them, his teeth bared.

"Don't be surprised if you don't like where our investigation takes us," said Rose curtly.

"Since you are so insistent on coming with us," continued Martha, "perhaps you can tell us where we can find Jary Kalco?"

Just for an instant Rose saw alarm flash in Arka's eyes and then he put on a smile, trying to look calm and collected, but it was clear by the way he was holding himself that he was concerned by this news.

"You don't have to go and see Jary Kalco!" exclaimed Arka. "Professor Hejay is more than happy to help you. She is the only one you need to see."

Martha raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms, feeling angry. "Considering she has already condemned the Doctor to his fate, we can't trust her. Perhaps if she'd had more sympathy for our situation, we would be more than happy to go to her for help."

"Besides," continued Rose, "Mr Kalco comes recommended to us and we are determined to follow up any leads. No matter what you say to us, _Arka, _we will visit him, whether he proves to be of any help remains to be seen."

Arka shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He knew without a doubt that he could not deny them this. If he tried to stop them, they could potentially start to suspect him of any wrong doing, and he didn't want the blame of his sister's death shoved onto him. Besides Kalco was an old colleague of his father's – and as far as Arka knew, Baron was still in contact with his old friend, so surely he would keep the secret that Baron had entrusted to him all those years ago? Baron wielded power – he had the influence to turn someone's life around in the matter of hours. If Kalco betrayed the family honour then he would suffer – simple as that.

Yes, Arka was certain that old loyalties would come to the fore in the end. He would take Rose and Martha to see Jary Kalco – they would just be wasting their time after all.

* * *

They spent the whole afternoon with Jary Kalco. However, much to Rose and Martha's disappointment he was not forthcoming. He seemed uninterested to their plight and felt that they were wasting their time. He had greeted Arka like an old friend, questioning him about how he was and how sorry he was to hear about his sister's untimely murder.

They left later that day with Arka trailing behind them. He seemed rather happy. "Ready to give up yet, girlies?" he asked, hands thrust deep into his pockets.

"No," snapped Rose, her face red with bottled up anger. "Why don't you go back to your Professor Hejay? If we need you, we'll come and get you. You don't need to keep an eye on us!"

"But that's my instructions," insisted Arka.

"Do you really want the wrath of two humans to come down upon your head?" continued Rose. "You are heading in that direction!"

Arka frowned, suddenly realising that he was in a very dangerous position here. Maybe baiting them wasn't a good idea... His father would kill him if he left them to go about their business, but he could always keep an eye on them from a distance. His father hadn't exactly told him how to track their movements...

Ah yes, freedom was a wonderful thing...

"Okay then. I will disobey my father's _instructions _and allow you free rein. You only have four days left. The clock is ticking girls. Come and find me when you are ready to bow before you new Masters."

Rose took a stepped forward towards Arka's retreating form, but Martha grabbed her by the arm. "Don't. We have what we want now. Forget about him and concentrate on what really matters."

Taking a deep breath, Rose exhaled. "We're running out of time. How are we ever going to find evidence that is in the Doctor's favour and not against him?" Her eyes were watery, and the other could tell there was fear reflecting in Rose's eyes. She didn't want to lose the Doctor, and if they didn't find evidence soon, his fate would be sealed.

"We'll do it. We'll get him out of here. I know we will," said Martha, attempting to smile, even though she too felt the weight of their mission on her shoulders. "Come on, let's head back. We need a rest."

**To be continued... **

**Please let me know what you think! More soon.**


	5. The Fourth Day

**A/N) **And so onto the next chapter...

* * *

**Chapter Five:** The Fourth Day

"Hey, Rose, what's this?" asked Martha as she picked up a piece of paper that had fallen out the back of Rose's jeans as her friend and pulled them on. It must have been poking out the back in order for it to fall so easily when tugged on.

"Oh, that will just be the piece of paper with the codes on," replied Rose, her voice monotone. "Nothin' important."

"It's not the codes..." replied Martha, her eyes wide as she turned to face her friend. "It is an _instruction. _I don't recognise the handwriting..."

Rose reached out for the piece of paper after zipping up her jeans and scanned the piece of paper. "That's odd. I've never seen this before..." She frowned, reaching into one of her side pockets to bring out the other piece of paper with the entry and exit codes written on it. "When did I get this?" She read the words on the paper once more. "Meet me at Yavil Avenue Coffee House tomorrow between eleven and one. Ditch the bodyguard."

"You must have got this yesterday..." Martha gasped as understanding reached her. "Jary Kalco!"

"You think?"

Martha nodded excitedly. "It makes sense! He couldn't talk to us yesterday but today he can. The _tomorrow _is today. We've ditched Arka! Kalco couldn't say what he really wanted to say in front of Arka... Without realising it, we've done it!"

Rose frowned. "Do you believe we can trust him?"

"We're going to have to," stated Martha. "He may be our only hope in helping the Doctor."

* * *

The Yavil Avenue Coffee House was not part of the Underground. Instead it was on the surface. They hadn't spent hours searching for the place instead they had asked Vicky who had quickly told them that it was above the surface. It had been her favourite Coffee Shop until she had been sent down here. They were still wary that Arka was tracking their movements, and to be honest, they both figured if he wasn't following them, someone else was. It was just a matter of figuring out whom.

They arrived at the Coffee House and sat at a table, waiting, stirring their cups of coffee, wondering if their contact was going to turn up or not.

"Excuse me, there is someone waiting in the back room for you. He told me to come and get you."

Rose glanced up and gave the waitress a warm smile, but she didn't return it. "Thanks." She picked up her coffee and walked behind the waitress into the room marked 'private'. Martha followed. Clearly, Jary Kalco didn't want to be seen helping them. The waitress closed the door behind them.

A man sat the only table in the room dressed smartly in a suit, with his long red hair tied back in a pony tail, a steaming mug of choco in front of him. "Rose Tyler. Martha Jones. It's good to see you again."

"Well, we're not so sure about you yet," mused Rose, as she plonked her backside on the chair. "You've given us no reason to trust you."

Martha threw a sharp look Rose's way. "But maybe you can prove that Rose is wrong about you."

"I can and I will," said Jary. "I could not openly help you in front of Arka. He would report everything to his father and he would also find a way of getting back at me. He was always a violent child, and _always _capable of murder. I will do everything I can do ensure that your friend is found innocent of all charges, but I have to be careful for my own safety. Baron will not like it if he discovers that I am aiding you before I have completed the investigations. I am an Academic, but I am also a Scientist."

Martha bit her lip. "Will you test the DNA sample for us?"

"I can," stated Jary. He reached into his jacket's pocket and pulled forth a bottle and placed it in the centre of the table. "Truth serum. You might need it."

"Why are you helping us?" asked Rose, her voice full of suspicion, even as she reached for the bottle and placed it inside her pocket.

Jary leaned back in the hard-backed chair. "I believe in justice, Miss Tyler. I do not condone the execution of a man who is innocent. I always knew Arka. His behaviour as a child led me to believe he has the so-called 'instability'. He was the favoured one, until his sister was born. He exhibited jealousy and even tried to kill her once when she was a child. He may have shown love, he may have shown adoration, but I knew him. His father recognised the signs, but refused to believe that his son could potentially harm his only daughter. I tried to get him to send him down to the Underground for rehabilitation, but he refused, insisting that having a loving family around him would benefit him more than being dragged away from them."

"So you think as I do," said Rose, choosing her words carefully. "You believe Arka could have done it because you know his history."

"Yes, I do. I would hate to see your friend suffer for the actions of another Humarian."

"He already is suffering," whispered Martha. "Every day they are torturing him, getting their vengeance on him for something he didn't do. He fell on her body and that was enough to convict him. How is that fair?"

"It's not," replied Jary. "But it is the way our law works. Your friend is a victim. Our system is wrong to assume his guilt based on little evidence. The DNA of your friend found on her body would have been scant enough to suggest to people that he was telling the truth. However, in the absence of the either identifiable DNA, they can push to have him tried and found guilty without another person to blame. I know she was raped: your friend's DNA was not found inside her. But you have that other DNA, don't you?"

Rose nodded. "I do."

"I will need it because I can run the tests."

"But if the forensics up here couldn't trace the sample, what makes you think you can?" questioned Rose. "You'd come up with the same results."

Jary shook his head, chuckling. "No, I wouldn't. Everyone that has ever worked or been a resident of the Underground, a sample of their DNA and blood has been kept on our records. It is always assumed that it would be a member of the Underground who would commit crimes, not the people who work there so they are never checked."

"Is there a chance it could be Arka's?"

"No, Martha Jones. He's too careful. And he wouldn't rape his sister. Deliver the killing blow, but not rape her."

"So how can we prove it was him if his DNA is not found on her?" asked Rose.

Jary leaned across the table, a lopsided smile on his face. "Because if the DNA sample matches with someone Arka is close to, then it is very likely you will find he is involved too, but was more careful. I am not saying he was definitely involved, but considering his history, it is viable he is." He picked up his mug and took a long drink from it. The top of his lips were frothed with chocolate by the time he had placed the cup back on the table. "Now, is there anything else I need to know?"

Rose exchanged a glance with Martha. Could they really trust this man? What if he was planning on betraying them?

"I know you might find it difficult to put your faith in me, but you know I am your friend's only help. You won't find anyone else willing to test a DNA sample for you, especially if it puts Baron Wilkinson in the limelight. Without me, your friend is as good as dead. Trust me and he stands a better chance of surviving this then he does now."

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Rose reached into her pocket and placed the bottle that held the DNA sample within it on the centre of the table, but he kept her hand wrapped firmly around it. "How long will it take you to test it?"

"One day, but I will need to write a report. They will not accept this evidence without a proper analysis being written out. Give me two," instructed Jary.

"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" demanded Martha, her voice high in pitch. "Wait around for you to give us a call? When you get back to us it will be the sixth day! We'll have one day left!"

"I can't do it any faster," replied Jary. "If I could, I would, but rushing this work is not in your friend's best interest. I don't know what you can do in the meantime. You have no other leads: only suspicions and only I can prove if those are correct."

"He's right," said Rose, carefully. "We can do nothing but wait. If we don't trust him, we lose."

Jary reached for the bottle of DNA that Rose had now released from her hold. He tugged it into a little pouch around his waist. "Meet me here in two days between nine and eleven in the morning. In the meantime, I suggest you consider ways how to administer the truth drug to Arka Wilkinson."

He placed a hat on top of his head, and pulled a long brown coat on, which strongly reminded Rose of the Doctor. He bowed to them and walked out of the room, leaving by another exit that led to a different part of the building.

"What do we do now?" questioned Martha, feeling a little bit hopeless, now that their only piece of evidence had been taken away from them.

"We go find Arka," stated Rose, her eyes hard and unwavering within their depths. She pulled out the truth serum from her pocket. "And find a way of administering this."

* * *

The darkness seemed to lighten above him and the Doctor felt himself slowly emerge from the dark prison he had been in. He noted that he had been unchained, but his wrists were now tied in front of him with rope, but it wasn't that tight.

"I thought you might need some food," said Baron, as he stepped into the Doctor's view. "We can't have you dying before your time."

The Doctor didn't reply, only eyed the bowl in Baron's hands with contempt.

"Come now, you can't keep going on like this. We don't want you to die before your time."

"But you are willing to torture me to the brink of death!" yelled the Doctor. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger that had risen inside his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm fed up of being a punch bag for something I didn't do! I know you won't stop this, no matter what I say."

"I cannot deny my son's revenge," said Baron, solemnly. "If I did and you were executed for your crime, we would not be able to push back the date of execution to give them the satisfaction they require. It is now or never! I do not want to lose another son to the 'instability'!"

The Doctor's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Baron knelt down beside the Doctor, placing the bowl of steaming meat soup on the floor. "Nothing that concerns _you_!" he said, rather harshly. "Now, if you do not eat, I will summon my sons in here to spend the rest of the day and night torturing you! And believe me they would take great delight in doing exactly that!"

Obediently, the Doctor opened his mouth, allowing Baron to place a spoon filled with the meat in his mouth. He would rather be forced to eat then be put through more agonising pain.

"So you do know how to follow instructions," observed Baron.

"I know when it is wise for me to do what is asked of me," replied the Doctor, taking another bite of food, chewing on the meat. He swallowed. Surprisingly, the food was delicious. He had expected something that would taste horrible. But Baron was laying off him, even if he was continuing to allow his son's access to him.

Once the Doctor was finished with his small meal, Baron started to walk away, but the Doctor's question stopped him from leaving the room entirely.

"What happens now?"

"You wait, until I deem it is time for my sons to get some entertainment from you."

_Great... _thought the Doctor.

He already knew he was in for another long night. _What fun I am going to have..._

**To be continued... **

**Please let me know what you think! **

**the-writer1988**


	6. The Fifth Day

**A/N) Apologies for the long wait. In compensation I am uploading the rest of this story in one go. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter Six: **The Fifth Day

After their meeting with Jary Kalco, Rose and Martha had decided to retire for the day. They were still both tired and needed the sleep, especially if they were going to end up confronting Arka. The question was how could they make sure he had the truth serum?

"We don't even know where he is since he agreed to leave us," said Martha. "He might even be suspicious of us suddenly turning up unannounced."

"I know," pouted Rose. "We can't just sit here and wait for tomorrow to come. We've got to do something!"

"He was awfully chummy with Professor Hejay," pointed out Martha. "Likelihood is that will be where we will find him."

"And what then? Ask him to go for a coffee?"

Martha chuckled. "Well, how else are we going to get him to take the truth serum? He won't take it willingly, especially if he has something to hide."

"He could be if he's one of the strong minded people who can fight it," pointed out Rose. "Trying this is not worth our time."

Martha glanced at her friend, noting the sadness reflecting in her friend's features. "We've got nothing else we can do until Jary gets back to us. We have to hope that this goes in our favour... and even if we fail to get him to take the truth serum, at least we tried. If we have justice on our side, everything will tip towards us. But we can't spend all day sitting here like melons. We've got to do something, get out there and see _what _we can find out." Martha sat down beside Rose. "If we don't try, we'll regret it."

Rose bowed her head, sighing. "Okay, we'll do this, but only for the sake of trying."

* * *

"Ready to give up?" grinned Arka, leaning against the doorframe at the entrance to the labs of Professor Hejay.

"Not at all," replied Martha, smugly. "We just wondered if you wanted to go for a cup of tea, or coffee."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Haven't you got more _important_ things to do humans, than have a chat with me? Surely you have no desire to see your friend's head lopped off do you? Or maybe you _do_ want to see that..."

"Shut up!" grated Rose, her anger flaring deep inside her. She couldn't help but hate him right now. He was baiting them deliberately.

"And there is the famous anger..." laughed Arka, folding his arms. "Why would I go and have a drink with you when it is so much more fun watching you fail?"

"Well, if we're going to be your slaves, we may as well start the process of getting to know one another," said Martha, slyly.

Arka glared at them. "I know enough about you without needing to talk to you. Observance is a powerful tool. Perhaps you two should make the effort to learn it?" he suggested.

Rose stepped up to Arka, staring up into his hate-filled eyes. "You think you are so clever. But you are not. We know, Arka. We know."

Martha saw Arka's eyes flash with sudden fear but then he controlled himself. For a split second he had been _afraid_.

"No, you don't know me at all. Threatening me is not in your best interests. You told me to leave you alone, and that is exactly what I'm doing. So, no, I will not go for a cup of coffee with you." Arka stepped out of the doorway, shutting it in front of him, preventing Rose and Martha from following him in.

"Well, that went well," said Rose.

"At least we tried," noted Martha as she began to walk away.

* * *

Arka watched them leave through the security cameras. Oh how he wanted to get his hands around the blonde girl's neck... He pulled his communicator out of his pocket, dialled a number and waited.

"What's up old buddy?"

"Redar, we have a problem," he breathed, his eyes never leaving the retreating forms of the two human girls.

* * *

"Scream for us!"

The Doctor clamped his mouth shut refusing to bow to the pressure that he was being put under. He hung from a metal device, his hands clamped in chains: one of the brothers pushing forward on his back, ensuring that his arms were stretched.

"You know, we will stop if you scream for us..." said Bearson, the second son of Baron. They had finally told him their names, but it only helped him identify them.

"No!" hissed the Doctor, even as Ray, the other brother, pushed down further. He could feel his right shoulder aching and then...

POP!

He nearly screamed, wincing as pain struck his body like a hammer.

"That should've hurt..." replied Bearson as he approached the Doctor, grabbing his chin and lifting it up. "Release the pressure Ray."

Ray moved off of the Doctor's back, but he still hung forward. His shoulder ached and he shuddered, trying to ignore the pain that reverberated throughout his body. A single tear leaked out of the corner of his left eye.

"Beg for mercy, murderer, and we'll stop..." whispered Bearson as he pulled his captive's head up and placed an evil looking blade to the Doctor's neck. "Oh, I cannot wait till I see your head severed from your shoulders..."

"I had... had..." panted the Doctor. "I had nothing to do with your sister's death! What would be the point of me to still deny it now?"

"To stop the pain," said Ray, prodding his fingers to the Doctor's broken shoulder.

So focused upon Bearson was the Doctor, that he had forgotten Ray's proximity to his body and before he could stop himself, his mouth opened and he let out a wailed scream, even as Ray twisted his broken shoulder.

"There it is..." whispered Bearson. "The scream we have been waiting for..."

"If I wanted the pain to stop, I would have admitted it!" yelled the Doctor, despite the agony he was in.

"So are you admitting you killed our sister?" questioned Ray.

The Doctor swallowed. "No! I didn't do it!"

"Too bad," chuckled Bearson. "If you had said yes we would have left you alone, but now..." He turned away from the Doctor's view and reached for something before returning to the Doctor. In his hands, he held a choker.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, please, no."

"Say yes..." enticed Ray, prodding his shoulder once more.

Gasping, the Doctor twisted his head so that he could stare into the eyes of his other torturer. "No."

"Too bad," grinned Bearson. He approached the Doctor and lifted the chain up and began to wrap it around his captive's neck. "This is going to be fun..."

* * *

"So, we're just going to wait until tomorrow?"

Rose rolled over to her side. "We've got nothing else we can do."

"Well, I guess I can say I screwed that up by convincing you we should try it," laughed Martha, trying to inject some humour into their dire situation.

Rose shrugged. "I guess there was no harm in trying. We approached him the wrong way. We should have asked for his help... but he would have wanted to know what for and why and we've got nothing to go on. Our sample is gone, the only suspicions we have are planted firmly on Arka himself."

Martha sighed. "I just wish things were different. The Doctor has a death sentence over his head. We wouldn't be in this mess if we hadn't insisted on going shopping! He chose this planet because _I asked _to see a market. What do we get? The Doctor accused of murder and sentenced to death. How am I supposed to deal with that? It's on my conscience. If I hadn't suggested..."

Rose grabbed Martha's arms. "Martha, listen to me. This is not your fault. Neither of us could have guessed what has happened. We just have to hope we can get ourselves out of this mess."

Before Martha could reply, they heard a scream.

"Vicky!" Rose yelled, leaping out of the bed and running out of their little hovel and into the main house. Standing in the kitchen was a man in black: his face covered by a balaclava. He held a gun at Vicky's head. Her husband lay on the floor unconscious, blood seeping from a wound on his head. "What are you doing?"

"I suggest you stop probing and give up, ladies..."

The voice was heavily disguised by a breathing apparatus. It reminded Rose of Darth Vader. She placed her hands on her hips and stared angrily at the intruder. "Who do you think you are coming in here and ordering us what to do? We have permission to be doing what we are! We still have two days left and we won't give up until the sun sets on the seventh day!"

"So, I suggest you leave us be!" yelled Martha, adding onto Rose's speech.

The Humarian pressed the gun harder to Vicky's head. "I can kill her..."

"You're the murderer aren't you?" asked Martha, quietly. "We're getting too close, aren't we? Why else would you come here?"

Rose caught on instantly. "Which means our guesses as to who the murderer is, is more or less accurate." She smiled smugly. "Why not give up now? We'll catch you tomorrow anyway."

The man's eyes glinted. "You think? You don't even know who I am... If you did you would say my name."

"Why should we give you the satisfaction of us saying your name?" asked Rose, intrigued. "We should just make you wonder... and wait to see if we do find you. You never know, the evidence we have might produce different results as to what you are expecting."

The eyes narrowed. "We'll see."

With a hard shove, he pushed Vicky to the floor, aiming his gun at her right arm, shot her, sending a bolt through the bone. And then he ran.

"Don't follow him," ordered Martha as she knelt down beside the sobbing Vicky.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I wasn't going to. Besides, his eyes gave him away: bright orange eyes. That was Redar. Arka is on to us, but he's bound by his father's instructions to stay here. He's hoping that we don't get the evidence that point's to him."

"Can we talk about this later?" wondered Martha. "We have two injured people here! I could do with a hand!"

Rose shook her head, shaking her thoughts out of her head. They just needed the positive identity of the DNA result and she was certain it would belong to Redar, and that was all the evidence they needed to implicate Arka in his sister's death too. Everything she had pieced together based on little pieces of information that Redar had let loose and Arka's own actions pointed to them colluding together. Of course, bringing them both to justice would be the hardest part of all.

But the Doctor's life depended on it. They had to, otherwise he would die.

"Rose?" groaned Martha, as she pressed a bloodied cloth to the wound in Vicky's arm.

"Sorry. What can I do?"

"Alert the authorities!" grated Martha. "I'll stay here and do what I can, but we need a doctor!"

Without hesitation, Rose ran out of the small hovel and into the street, pounding her feet into the ground as she ran towards the main residence of the Underground. There was hope in her heart. They _could _save the Doctor.

_And I will, _vowed Rose.

**To be continued...**


	7. The Sixth Day

**Chapter Seven: **The Sixth Day

Both Vicky and her husband were recovering in the small hospital that had been put aside for the criminals in the Underground on the surface. Staff members from the General Population Health Service had been called up to do extra shifts to cope with the injuries that Vicky and her husband had obtained. As injuries were considered rare, they called in more nurses then needed, but still, it at least got them the required care they needed considering the hurt they had obtained through the trauma they had suffered.

Rose and Martha visited them the following morning to discover their progress and was pleased to see that both were well on their way to a good, strong recovery. When they left the building, they headed down the small pathway, turned right at the end of it and headed towards the Yavil Avenue Coffee House. It was just before nine in the morning.

Tomorrow at sunset, the Doctor would be executed unless they could discover the real killer and bring them to justice. All of it hung on this coming meeting. If Jary Kalco had done his job properly they would know exactly who was behind the rape of Arka's sister, and with any luck, be able to link Arka into it as well, thereby securing the release and pardon of the Doctor.

Rose had hardly slept the previous night: her anxiety over the Doctor was stopping her from settling down properly. Her eyes were ringed with dark circles and her temper was close to the surface. Martha had fared better, but she knew deep down that she was extremely worried about the fate of the Doctor. It had seemed ages ago they still had seven days. Now they were down to one day. The clock was ticking.

Sitting down at a table in the middle of the coffee shop, Rose sipped the tea she had ordered, nibbling a biscuit as she drank. Martha had opted for a glass of water and occupied herself with ravishing a bacon sandwich, wrapped up in scrambled egg within it.

They sat there, not talking, for way over an hour and Rose was just beginning to contemplate going for a walk when a male waitress approached their table, asking them to proceed to the little room they had met Jary Kalco in before.

Jary's long red hair fell about his shoulders and in his hands he held the DNA sample that Rose had given to him two days before. As soon as the door had shut he began speaking, not even bothering to welcome them. Time was short: they could dispense with the pleasantries.

"It's Redar Heshme, a direct link to Arka," he stated. "A positive match for Redar. He is one of the people involved in running the Underground – I am sure you are aware of that."

Martha nodded. "Yes, but this result doesn't give us a direct reason to suspect Arka. There was no other DNA found in the body save for his. How can we implicate Arka when we have no proof?"

"Well, we can get him to confess," suggested Rose. "But he won't. The likelihood is, is that he'll have gone 'underground' to avoid us. We don't have the evidence to implicate Arka save for our own suspicions. We need to get a confession from him."

Jary leaned forward, his bright eyes shining. "I would suggest you go to Baron. You have the rapist's identity. That might be enough to give your friend more time."

"It won't," replied Rose, already dismissing the idea. "Baron wants the identity of the murderer. Sure, we've got the rapist, but the trouble is, is that the Doctor's DNA was found on the body. It still implicates him. If Redar is the rapist, he can still tell the authorities the Doctor killed her. Redar has more control over the Doctor's fate then we want him to."

"Listen to me," instructed Jary. "I know Baron. He is a reasonable man. He will listen to you. He was willing to give you the chance to prove your friend's innocence. You don't have to both go. I have already copied my report." He reached into a bag that was by the side of his chair and listed out a folder. "This is my full report on the results. I have also included everything you have told me about your suspicions that Arka is involved. I have put within it that it doesn't mean he is, but it is worth investigating. Baron will take this to heart if you show him this. One of you must go to him."

"I'll do it," volunteered Martha. "Rose, you can stay here and work with Jary to figure out how we can trap both Redar and Arka." She locked gazes with Jary. "Do you have something that we can stay in contact with that isn't a mobile phone?"

"A mobile phone?" Confusion filed over Jary's features.

"It's a communications device that is quite loud and would be obvious if we need to use it," simplified Rose. "Martha and I have one... but we need something quieter that we can communicate with that isn't so conspicuous. Something like an earplug would do."

"You're in luck," grinned Jary. "I always carry these around with me. They are a small device. They are the same colour of your skin so unnoticeable unless you are up close."

"Erm, I'm not pale-skinned," said Martha, raising her hand. "It would be noticeable on me."

"Good point, but you won't be with us, you'll be with Baron. It won't matter with him. As long as you can hear what is happening with us, everything should work out just fine," pointed out Jary.

"Are you sure you want to risk this?" question Rose.

"Yes. I want justice and I am willing to bring in a friend's son if it means that desire is served."

A slight smile tipped Rose's lips. "Thanks."

"I don't want to see an innocent man die, but he's not out of the range of being guilty yet. Not until we have a confession," replied Jary solemnly. "There is still a chance he could die." He stood from his chair. "We're wasting time chatting. We need to get a move on." He locked gazes with Martha. "You'll go to Baron and show him this report. Rose and I will attempt to extract a confession."

Martha nodded, taking the report in hand. Jary passed her a bag she could use to store it in. "Okay, you two had better keep in touch. If Baron doesn't believe this report, then I'm coming to find you."

"I know Baron," insisted Jary. "He will not dismiss it just because his son has been implicated in this dreadful murder. He already knows his son has 'instability' problems."

Martha nodded. "Well, good luck." Grasping the report under her arm, wrapped tightly in its protective bag, Martha shot Rose a smile and left the room, her head held high as she embarked on a mission that she hoped that would at least buy the Doctor some more time. Even if it didn't at least she could say she had tried.

* * *

Their bodies lined with thin wires attached to recording equipment, Rose Tyler and Jary Kalco approached the home of Professor Hejay. They had already checked her lab in the hope of discovering Redar and Arka but neither had been seen by any of her staff members, nor had they seen hide or hair of the Professor herself. The only place they could realistically be would be her home, located above the surface, but close to the entrance to the Underground.

The sun was beating down upon their bodies, its heat causing Rose to feel uncomfortable in the clothes she had opted to wear. Jary walked beside her, not seeming to care that it was boiling. He seemed quite content to stroll around in a suit. As they approached the home of the Professor, Rose felt a shiver run up her body. She didn't know why but she had a terrible feeling that not everything was going to go to plan.

_But then, with the Doctor, what does go to plan? _

"Are you ready for this?" whispered Jary, very aware that everything they said, Martha would be receiving on her own ear-phone.

Rose nodded. "I am." She raised her hand to the front door and rapped loudly upon it and stepped back, waiting.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, the DNA points to Redar Heshme as the rapist. He is a friend of my son's, and things my own son has said to you have led you to suspect him as well?" Baron was clearly not pleased by the report but he was still listening. He hadn't written it off completely... yet.

"Yes," replied Martha, feeling uncomfortable sitting in the comfy chair while she knew below her the Doctor was probably being tortured. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but we figured it would be best to let you know. Both and Rose and I are looking for the truth. And I'm sorry if it means your son, Arka, is involved in anyway."

Baron sighed, hand on his forehead as he bowed his head. "To think he could have participated in his sister's death saddens me. I can't get it around my head that he would cover it up and let another man take the blame... I did not raise him to be like that. I raised him to take responsibility for his actions, which is how our society can learn to forgive those that commit these sinful crimes if the sentence passed is not death."

Martha frowned. "Will you petition to have the execution date moved so that we can bring you more evidence so that we are not rushed? We have no idea how we can get a confession from them. Then only thing I have is this." She pointed to her ear where a device sat neatly within. "I can hear everything that is going on between Rose and Jary Kalco, but they are not receiving me. At the moment the line is quiet."

"No, I won't have the execution order lifted. Not until I have proof, actual proof that my son was involved. A confession from the real killer and rapist of my daughter will suffice, but nothing will lift it before that," condemned Baron.

"Then you give us little time," whispered Martha. "Your son knows we have little time left. If he is involved then he will try to hold out until the execution. And if he does, you face killing a man that has been innocent in every aspect since the beginning." Martha sighed, her shoulders slumping. "At least let me see him, so I can say goodbye to him if we don't get the confession you want in time."

Baron was silent, his mind in turmoil. The evidence uncovered pointed to the Doctor's innocence. Theoretically he could push to have the execution order revoked until further notice, however that would be unorthodox in his society. But how could he justify the killing of a man that was more than likely never involved in the murder anyway? How could he be comfortable with his continual torture at the hands of his two other sons? He sighed, not knowing what to do.

"Please," begged Martha, her voice low and almost broken, unshed tears gathering in her eyes.

"Okay. You can see him." He started to walk away. "Stay here. I'll have to ensure that my sons are not in the room when you see your friend. Be warned though, Miss Jones, he is in a right state."

She didn't like the sound of that one bit, as she kept her eyes trained on the departing form of Baron.

* * *

"We are here to see Arka and Redar," stated Rose, as soon as Professor Hejay had opened the door. She didn't even give the Humarian a chance to speak but pushed her way into the house with Jary following quickly behind her. "And don't bother denying they are not here. We know they are so they may as well come out of hiding now. We saw you talking to them through your backroom window about ten minutes ago." She added with effect.

The Professor glared at her but walked along the hallway and reached up to the ceiling to pull down a door that led to the attic. "They know you are here," she stated to the darkness above her head. "No point hiding either of you."

Slowly, Redar and Arka climbed down the steps that had descended from the opening and turned to face both Rose and Jary.

"I thought you didn't want to see me anymore?" gloated Arka, smirking.

"Why were you hiding from us?" asked Rose, her eyebrows rose as she waited for his excuse.

"As my friend said, "stated Redar, "you didn't want to see him."

"All three of you have completely disappeared from the Underground," began Rose. "All we want is the truth. Did you or did you not kill your sister?" She directed the question at Arka.

The response was immediate, his voice high-pitched in denial. "NO!"

"Really?" questioned Rose, a sly smile appearing on her face. "Then perhaps you should read this report that your old family friend has compiled for us." She stepped back allowing Jary to take centre stage.

He lifted up the copy of the report: the original was safely in Martha's hands. "Perhaps you two would be interested in reading this?" He said calmly.

"And while you boys are reading this, perhaps your Professor friend will indulge us with a cup of tea?" suggested Rose, already strolling forward into the lounge and sitting down upon one of the comfy chairs that lined the walls. She grinned at the Professor, who only glared at her in return, but stalked off towards the kitchen.

So far, things were going well.

* * *

"Doctor?"

Martha approached the still form of her friend. He lay upon the floor, curled up. His eyes were closed and he was clearly unconscious. She knelt down beside him, gently touching the side of his face. He was covered in bruises and cold. So very cold. Blood stained the walls, a chair, and the floor. The Doctor's blood. She shivered. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Baron watching her. Clearing her throat, she asked: "Could you leave us, please?"

He didn't reply but stepped out of the open door and partially closed it. No doubt he was keeping an eye on her in here. Baron's son's had put up an argument that would stop Martha from visiting her friend, but Baron had simply stated that she had brought him evidence that pointed to her friend's innocence and all she wanted to do was check that he was alright. In light of their father's words, both Bearson and Ray could not change his mind, but had to wait before they could resume the 'hitting' spree they had been on.

"Doctor?" she whispered, very gently shaking him.

He groaned, and his eyelids flickered as conscious came flooding back to his senses. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus upon the person in front of him. "Martha?"

"It's me," she smiled. "I'm here, but not for long."

"What are you doing here?" he managed, coughing up blood as he spoke.

"We have procured evidence that shows you were not involved in the murder. I came here to produce a report to Baron and ask him to lift or even move the execution order back, but he won't. Not until we have the real killer's confession. Rose and Jary are trying to get that for us right now." She pointed to her ear where the earphone sat. The last she had heard from Rose was that Arka and Redar were reading the report. Everything that was being relayed to her was being recorded on a small tape that was in the pocket of her jeans. The only snag was that both Arka and Redar's voices were hard to distinguish, however what they said could be heard, albeit difficult to interpret.

"He won't lift it?" he rasped.

Martha shook her head. "No. But we're working on it. All we need is the confession and then you'll be free."

"Feels like it has been a long time since I've been free..." he whispered. "So much pain..."

She winced as she took in the marks around his throat. They had attempted to throttle him. Strangle him. She felt anger whirling up inside her and she wondered why she didn't just break him out of this horrid place right now: the problem being, she knew, was that it was his sentence to suffer what the family did to him in the days leading up to his execution. The trouble was, was that he had never committed the crime in the first place. "This is so unfair. This shouldn't be happening to you. None of it."

"I know..." he whispered. "You'll get me out of this. Both of you always do."

She didn't know what to say, instead she pulled him into a sitting position, being careful of the injuries he had obtained and hugged him, resting her head on the top of his. "I won't be here for long, but while I am, sleep."

Martha felt the Doctor relax in her arms and within minutes he was asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly as he descended into the oblivion that had been granted to him for now.

* * *

"You are accusing me of murdering my sister?"

They had expected Arka's outburst, but his face was red with anger and his eyes blazed with such intensity that Rose flinched.

"You've given us reason to," said Rose. "You haven't really given us much confidence. Besides," she glanced at Redar, "he is the rapist, the DNA confirms it. Your friend made the mistake of saying that he saw you last week when you said that you hadn't seen him for a long time. Your response was quick as if to stop our suspicions arising. Things you have also said to me throughout our short time together points to it. Confess now, and maybe the authorities will go easy on you."

"They won't," whispered Arka.

"Ah-ha! Guilt!" smiled Rose.

"What? I haven't admitted to anything!" yelled Arka, his cheeks reddening further.

Jary cleared his throat. "Actually, you have done. You reply to Miss Tyler's statement that the authorities will go easy on you is in the negative which implies you know what fate awaits you if you turned yourself in. I thought better of you Arka. I thought you would do the right thing, but instead you are letting an innocent person pay the price for your hideous crime."

"NO! I'M NOT!" Arka was acting like a petulant child.

"I did," whispered Redar. "I killed Arka's sister."

"No, don't take the blame for me!" responded Arka quickly.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Again there is another hint that you are guilty. You don't want your best friend taking the blame but you are perfectly happy with letting the Doctor take it, aren't you?"

"I didn't do anything! I loved my sister!"

"Then why did you kill her?" asked Rose.

"Because I was jealous," he yelled, fists clenched at his side, his face red.

It was in that instant that Arka realised what he had said and admitted to. His hand clamped to his mouth and he was shaking his head. "No, I didn't say that."

"But you did," stated Rose. She glanced towards Jary, already knowing that everything that had transpired would be with Martha. The Doctor would be saved. They had done it. It was only then that she began to feel dizzy, her eyes blurring. She stepped forward, intending to speak once more to Arka, but she miss-stepped and fell flat on her face. She groaned as she tried to scramble to her feet, but her limbs were weak. It was as if she had no strength left. "What's happening?" she slurred.

Professor Hejay stepped into her field of vision. "Your tea, I took the liberty of drugging it with a powerful sulphuric. By the time you awaken, your friend will have been executed."

"NO!"

Arka was grinning at her as her eyes dropped and she felt blackness crawling up her body. "Justice prevails and truth remains hidden once more..."

Redar knelt down beside her. "Oh, and for what it is worth, human muck, we know about the recording equipment that has been transmitting everything to your friend. It's been blocked. Everything that has transpired here will never reach her. You have no confession, only your own foolishness to think that you could catch us out. Your friend, the Doctor, is dead. When you awake, you will be committed to a life of slavery with Arka's father. You better get used to being treated like muck because that is what your life will be like from now on!"

A part of Rose's brain tried to remember something important, but the darkness pulling at her consciousness prevailed and she fell, her head hitting the wooden floor with a thump. Darkness reigned.

**To be continued...**


	8. The Seventh Day

**Chapter Eight: **The Seventh Day

The day had steadily passed for Martha and it was now the early hours of the morning on the seventh day. Later today, at sunset, the Doctor would be executed. _This should be over by now, _she reasoned. She had not heard of any transmissions from Rose since she had overheard her friend asking for a cup of tea and telling Arka and Redar to read the report. She found it odd and worrying. Rose should have reported in.

The Doctor was down in his prison, Arka's two brothers continuing the punishment, despite their father's warning to go easy on him. She leaned back in the chair, ignoring the sandwich that Baron had brought for her hours earlier. Knowing that the Doctor was suffering below her was putting her off her food. This should not be happening.

"Frustrated?"

Martha glanced up and saw Baron standing in the doorframe of the lounge. "Yeah, I am. I haven't heard from Rose at all for hours and I _should _have done. Something has gone wrong." She pointed to her ear where the ear phone rested. "You've seen this, you haven't questioned me about it, but Rose has one and everything she says and mostly hears I should be receiving. The last time I heard anything from her was yesterday after she asked Professor Hejay for a cup of tea."

Baron frowned. "Odd..."

"They must have guessed what they were up to," speculated Martha. "But I can't leave here, not without knowing that the Doctor will be safe until I get back."

Immediately Baron shook his head. "No. I cannot justify in doing that. My son's would revolt against me and that is the last thing I need on my hands: another family crisis."

"Then help me," pleaded Martha. "If Arka is responsible for Rose's silence, would that help the Doctor's case? Would it convince you that Arka may have committed that terrible crime himself even without a confession?"

Baron hesitated, biting his lips as she mulled over her request. "It would help," he replied.

"Then will you help me?" asked Martha, her eyes locked intently on Baron's. His decision was paramount as to what happened next. She held her breath, waiting for his answer, understanding that this would be a difficult decision for him. Arka's involvement with his sister's death would break his father's heart. In some ways, even knowing that he was linked to the crime had probably already done it. "Well?"

* * *

"Urgh... what happened?" moaned Rose, her lips numb, her body trembling. Blinking, she tried to clear her vision, but the room was still dizzy.

"You shouldn't be awake this quickly," murmured Professor Hejay from above her. "The drug should have kept you out of it for hours." She held up a pointy needle and lowered it towards the base of Rose's neck. "Don't struggle, this won't hurt a bit."

Rose moved her head, but her movements were sluggish. "Stop!" she slurred.

"You want my friends convicted of murder. I will not let that happen. Already your other friend is being tracked down and killed." Hejay pressed the needle to Rose's jugular vein, pressing the shining liquid into her captives neck.

"You can't... You can't..." panted Rose. "You'd... letta ... inn...o...cent ... man ... die?"

"To protect my friends, yes," stated Professor Hejay.

Drowsiness engulfed Rose once more and her eyelids shut of their own accord.

* * *

Martha and Baron stood outside the home of Professor Hejay. Using the power he wielded within the society, Baron had made some calls shortly after business hours and discovered that the Professor had not turned up for work for a few days and had gone into hiding. The house looked empty on the outside but Martha had the feeling that her friends were there. It also didn't help that a neighbour of the Professor's had been asked to keep quiet about the two people that had come calling a day previously, but having seen Baron Wilkinson involved, the person had gladly stepped forward and given them that bit of information. No one had emerged from the house since.

"Are we just going to walk up and ring the doorbell?" asked Martha.

"Yes. The local law enforcement is on stand-by. If they lose contact with us they will come storming in; the same result if our equipment is interfered with in any way or if the code-words are uttered," explained Baron, his voice hard.

Baron had done the honourable thing and was helping Martha. Executing an innocent man would not go well on his conscience, however he had not stopped it going ahead, only informed the law enforcement that he was in need of their expertise. He hated the fact that his son was involved in his own sister's death, but that's what the instability did. He reached up and knocked three times on the door: the code for 'friend'.

The door opened and Professor Hejay stood in the door frame: her expression one of shock when she saw Martha standing beside Baron. "What do you want, sir?" she asked humbly, inclining her head forward in a respectful bow.

"Is my son, Arka, with you?"

She answered slightly too fast for Martha's liking. "No, not at all."

"Really?" huffed Martha. "Are you sure about that? Because the last time I saw _my friends _they were coming to find you."

Her face was stony, and her eyes flashed in Martha's direction. "I haven't seen them."

"Then you won't mind me coming in then?" questioned Baron, his voice smooth.

Hesitation on Hejay's part roused Martha's suspicions even further. She stepped aside after a few moments allowing both Baron and his companion to enter her house.

Upon entering the house, Baron looked straight up at the door in the ceiling. "I'd like to see what is in there."

"You don't want to have a look, sir. It's highly valuable stuff that I would rather guests to my home didn't see," replied Professor Hejay sweetly.

"I asked to see what is in your attic and I expect an answer of positivity, not one of negativity." Baron stood firm, his eyes flashing. He did not want this situation to escalate even further.

"Dad, don't bother."

Baron whirled to see his son standing behind him, a gun in his hand and levelled at Martha's head. "What do you think you are doing?"

"For justice. For my sister. He has to die, father!" yelled Arka, his voice trembling.

"And threatening his friend is going to convince me I'm executing the right man?" asked Baron, calmly, though Martha could see that he was slightly shaking.

"Of course you are, dad," said Arka, his voice desperate and pleading. "The evidence points to him and he's already been convicted. There is no turning over the sentence anyway. He's good as dead. Besides, I've already told Bearson and Ray to take him down for execution. I made the call last night, father, to move it up to this morning."

"WHAT?" Martha was aghast.

"And you've just admitted your guilt, boy, by sending an innocent man to his death," said Baron, his face reddening. The Arka he had raised would not resort to this. "Why did you kill Yarien?" He turned his eyes towards Redar who had emerged from the kitchen. "And why would you rape her?"

"More than ten times," grinned Redar. "The way you've treated Arka over the years has disgusted me! Ever since she was born, little Yarien has been the apple of your eye! You don't care about your other sons – all you loved was your bitchy little daughter!"

"How dare you..." thundered Baron. "Arka, how could you?"

"I killed her because I was jealous of the attention she was getting from you. It turned away from me! I was always a huge part of your life but as she grew older that attention diverted to her from me! It wasn't fair! I deserved that attention! NOT HER! I'm the one with the problems, NOT HER! ME! It should have been ME! I never intended for an innocent person to be executed for my crime but it was convenient for me!" Arka spat towards his father. "It was always 'me, me, me, me, me' with that little bitch of a sister! Well it SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN! It should have been ME, ME, ME!"

Martha stepped back, wary of Arka's outburst. "You thought killing her would bring the attention back on you?"

Arka nodded, curtly. "Yes. And it worked! Until you two showed up and tried to uncover the truth! We had to stop you but I was under orders to help you in any way I could! Humans are stupid! You shouldn't have been able to sense that I was lying to you! BUT YOU DID!" He turned towards his father, his eyes pleading. "Please father. Let this go. Let that human die for my crime and we can go back to what life should have been like before she became the apple of your eye."

Baron's stare was icy and cold. He couldn't even recognise the son he had raised. Arka was deranged, insane, especially if he thought his own father would allow the execution to go forward. "No. I won't let him die for what you did to Yarien. You will both be arrested for this crime," he whirled on Professor Hejay, "and you will be arrested for perverting the court of justice!"

Redar smirked. "No one is here to hear your demands or our arrest warrants. Let it go, Baron, you've lost. Go back to the life you once had with Arka. Let the human die in his place."

"He's not human," whispered Martha. "The Doctor isn't human. He's a Time Lord, the last of a powerful and ancient race. You are punishing someone who isn't even human."

Redar's smile faltered.

"It's too late anyway!" declared Arka. "His head will already be on the removing block! Then we can get on with our lives again. Father, I love you and you love me. Let us go back to the way things were before Yarien ever came into our lives." His eyes were shining brightly.

Martha was shaking her head. "You are insane! No parent would forgive their child for the merciless killing of their own blood just because of jealousy!"

"My father would," said Arka confidently. He locked gazes with Baron, a smile on his face. He was ready to accept his father's apologies for pushing him to one side. He had done them a favour after all, getting rid of the bitch that had destroyed his happy life.

"No, Arka, I wouldn't." Baron looked old. "I cannot forgive a son who would murder his own sister. And I'm not even sorry for what I did. I showered you with gifts and love and attention through your years of battle with the instability. But now I know it wasn't instability. It was simple jealousy that had grabbed hold of your spirit and twisted it to what it is today. I treated all of you fairly."

"YOU DIDN'T!" roared Arka. He moved the gun he was holding pointing to Martha's head, towards his father's, his fingers sweating on the trigger.

"Hold it right there!"

Arka whirled and saw to his horror policeman standing in the doorway, their own guns trained upon him. "But how?" he stammered, shock registering across his features.

Martha held up a small hand-held device. "It got through your filters. They've been hearing everything you have said. The code-words to trigger their response were 'murder his own sister'. As soon as your father said that, the authorities knew to interrupt and detain you." She folded her arms across her chest and whirled toward Professor Hejay. "Now, I take it my friend Rose and Jary Kalco are up in the attic?"

Knowing that she was caught out, the Professor nodded. "Yes."

"Thank you."

"You do realise your friend is heading towards his death right this very moment, don't you?" yelled Arka suddenly, as a policeman grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back. Redar was similarly detained.

"Where is he being taken?" asked Martha.

"To the Stadium," confirmed Baron. "We can get there." He glanced towards the Chief Inspector of the force. "Can you get us to the Stadium? We have an innocent man's life to save. We have little time to wait around here."

The Inspector nodded. "We do. We'll clear out this house and arrest these three and put them up on charges. Detective!"

A young Humarian stood to attention, saluting his boss. "Yes, sir!"

"I am leaving the premises. Finish up here."

"Sir!"

Following the Chief Inspector, Martha and Baron began their journey towards the Stadium.

* * *

The Doctor had been taken from his prison and dressed in new prison overalls. His hands had been chained behind his back and he had been dragged roughly to a waiting van and forced inside. He was too weak to put up a fight. He knew where he was heading: towards his inevitable execution.

He was not going to give up hope – there was still the chance his friends would come through for him. It was about thirty minutes later that the van drew to a stop and he was grabbed by Baron's two sons and hauled from the van. They threw him to the dusty floor, and the Doctor became aware of spectators lining up beside the entrance to the stadium where his execution was scheduled to be held.

Whispers began around him. People talked to each other, some even pointing at him, their faces scrunched up in anger. One woman pushed to the front of the crowd, her face twisted in anger. She threw something at him that splattered on his shoulder and he immediately began to smell the odour of dung. "Murderer!"

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "I didn't kill her!"

"That's what they all say!" shouted the woman, spit flying from her mouth.

The Doctor was grabbed once again by Baron's two sons and dragged into the looming Stadium. He tried not to think about what was going to happen next. He pressed his eyes shut not wanting to know where he was going. There would be no escape for him now unless a miracle happened. He centred himself. He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it.

He felt coldness hit his face and he opened his eyes once again to find himself in the middle of an arena, a cold wind sweeping across his face. All around him, the seats were filling up with spectators that had come to see his death. He swallowed as he heard chants for justice start all around him. They hated him... and he'd done nothing wrong, save for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Ahead of him was a cutting block and beside it stood a Humarian dressed in black, holding in his hands an axe. The Doctor swallowed. It was getting darker, the sun was setting. He had minutes to live... He considered struggling but thought better of it, already knowing that it would just make the jeers that continued to surround him louder. He was forced around so that he was laid flat on his back upon the cutting bloke, his chin lifted up revealing the line mark Baron had put upon him several days ago. His hands were locked into position to chains embedded into the earth. He stared up into the masked Humarian standing above him.

The two brothers knelt down beside him.

"Have a nice time in hell..." Bearson whispered.

"You deserve it after what you did to my sister!" spat Ray.

"We've already decided where to place your head..." continued Bearson, "the entrance to the house, so whenever we come home from work, we can look at it and see that justice has been done."

"Executing an innocent man is justice is it?" hissed the Doctor.

"You are hardly an innocent," glared Ray.

"Maybe not, but in this case I am," the Doctor stated calmly. He could see the sun was about to set. _Not long now... _

Ray let loose a hearty laugh. "You wish! You were caught at the scene of the crime," he leered. "Anyway... it is almost time, my brother and I have prime seats for your execution."

"Great," muttered the Doctor. He watched as the brothers walked away, taking their seats high up in the stands, but with the best view of his demise. Moments passed and he waited. The executioner positioned himself to the side of the Doctor, raising the axe high above his head.

On a screen, located above him, the Doctor could see the countdown.

_10..._

_9..._

_8..._

_7..._

_6..._

_Five more seconds..._he thought. He clenched his eyes shut, even as the last glimpse of the sun's rays rebounded off the shining metal axe hanging precariously above him.

_5..._

_4..._

_3..._

_2..._

"STOP THIS EXECUTION! HE DIDN'T DO IT!"

The Doctor's eyes opened. Though he couldn't see the person pounded across the stadium floor he knew exactly who it was just by the voice. It was Baron.

Ray and Bearson were already running down the stairs they had climbed only a minute before. "Father? What do you mean?" Only Baron had the authority to directly stop the execution. As the father of the deceased he had the decision whether the execution could be put forward or put back. It was, however, unusual, for one to be stopped just seconds before it was about to happen. But the executioner was bound to heed the commands of the head of the household.

Baron stepped into the Doctor's line of sight, signalling to the executioner to lower the axe. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief as the sharp end was moved well away from his neck.

"Ray, Bearson, this man is innocent of every crime he has been accused and convicted for. He needs to be released immediately." Baron's commands were clear and filled with authority. "I will not explain why until he is safe from harm. The revelations I have to say to you both are not for public ears." He glanced around the stadium. "Take the Doctor to the medical room. His friends are waiting for him."

"Father, who did it?" Bearson persisted. "We can't let him be moved until other evidence is provided to clear his name."

"And I have that," acknowledged Baron. "The authorities already know and have taken into custody the real rapist and killer. I already sent a message to the high commission informing them of this development and I have the authority to release him. I will not leave him lying out here in the dark. Now, do as you're told and take him to the medical unit. And for your own sake, treat him nicely! I will see both of you in the Governor's room."

Ignoring the mutterings of the crowd that had come to watch the bloodshed, Baron marched back into the stadium. The two brothers exchanged glances and proceeded to release the Doctor from the chains that held him. Helping him to his feet and leading him away, the Doctor could only think of what a lucky reprieve that he had been given.

He couldn't help but think that if it had not been for Baron's timely intervention, he would be dead now, and Rose and Martha would have become a part of Baron's household. He shivered at the prospect of what his death would have done to his loyal companions. It was a situation he did not want to think about.

_Thank you Rose and Martha, _he thought. He had been saved, impossibly, at the last second. His friends had come through for him in the end. But then, he had never doubted them in the first place. Besides, how could not believe that Rose and Martha wouldn't come through for him?

They were human: brilliant, simple humans. They always came through for him, whatever the circumstances. For the first time in days he allowed himself to smile.

**To be continued... **

**Just the epilogue to go now... **


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"DOCTOR!" yelled Martha as the Doctor was helped into the medical room. The two brothers deposited the Doctor onto the lowered bed and left the room, without saying a word to the man they had tortured.

"Where's Rose?" the Doctor glanced around the small room, his voice croaky.

"She'll be here shortly," said Martha. "Now, how badly hurt are you? And I want the truth."

"Bruised. Cut. And I ache all over," he said, as he pulled off his shirt, so that Martha could get to work.

"I'm not surprised," said Martha, as she dabbed a gauze into some water and started to clean the various cuts that covered his face, chest, back, arms and hands. He winced as she dabbed, cleaning the stained blood from his skin.

"So, am I going to find out who killed the little girl?" he asked.

Martha nodded. "You're not gonna believe this..." she swallowed. "But it was Arka."

"What? One of Baron's sons?" The Doctor was shocked.

"Yes... He killed her but he wasn't the one who raped her. One of Arka's childhood friends was the rapist."

"Oh."

"Arka thought he could get away with it. He thought Baron wouldn't mind... would choose to let you die then have his own son killed," she continued to explain as she cleaned his wounds.

"Is he going to be executed?" asked the Doctor.

Martha shrugged. "I have no idea. They both get a trial but they will be convicted. Baron won't protect his son – if he wanted to, he would have let you die in his son's place."

The Doctor shivered. "Yeah... that was close. The countdown had started."

"Countdown?"

"Leading to the axe falling to sever my head, Martha," he stated bluntly.

"Oh," blanched Martha. "That was close."

"It was..." he shivered. He had nearly died.

Silence fell between them, while Martha worked cleaning his wounds. Once she had done that, she started to feel the various bones in his body, checking for any broken bones. He winced as her hands found his chest. "I think you've got three broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. I'm amazed you are not shouting in pain. Anyone else with your injuries would be." She turned and picked up a roll of white bandage. "This is all I can do until we get you back to the TARDIS."

"Fine." He sat still on the edge of the patient's bed as Martha rolled the bandage around his chest, tightening it to give the ribs some support. Then she supported his right shoulder by putting his right arm in a sling.

"I sincerely hope you have a cream that will heal the burns on your body."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "The TARDIS medical room will be all I need." He got to his feet, wobbling a bit as he tested the weakness in the muscles he hadn't used for a few days. Martha steadied him, helping him to walk out of the room.

"DOCTOR!"

His face broke out into a grin. "Rose."

Rose was running towards them down the corridor, a smile wide on her face. "You're okay!"

"Well, apart from being a bit hurt... other than that, I'm fine," replied the Doctor.

Rose dashed towards him, flinging her arms around his neck, being careful of the arm in the sling. She kissed him on his cheek. "I am so glad you are safe. I would have hated myself if we couldn't have saved you." She glanced into his shining eyes. "It's a shame that Baron's son had to be involved."

"It is," whispered the Doctor. "However, I'm free."

Exchanging a look with Martha, Rose smiled. "Yeah, you are."

* * *

Baron officially exiled his son from his family and will, giving the courts full jurisdiction to execute Arka. Despite the Doctor's intervention and plea to Baron to not give his son to the justice system, despite the severity of the crime, the courts sentenced Arka to death, while Redar got away with a life sentence down in the Underground with no chance of parole.

Rose kept to her promise she had made to Vicky and ensured her and her husband's release from the Underground. Baron owed the Doctor for what he had allowed to be done to him, and agreed to plead on Vicky's behalf and the court dutifully released her and her husband back into society with a full pardon. Baron also promised to review all the cases of those in the Underground and campaign on their behalf. Having got to know both Rose and Martha over the week, Baron had realised that having anger was not something to be ashamed of. They had to be sensible about it and not punish those who were displaying normal emotions for what was now becoming the norm for every Humarian on the planet. Baron took advice from both Rose and Martha on this issue.

Baron's other sons, Ray and Bearson had apologised to the Doctor for their treatment of him but he refused to accept it stating that they had nothing to apologise for. They had followed their hearts and desire for revenge against the person they had thought had taken their sister from them. They had not known any better. He had been convicted of the crime after all. He didn't blame them for what they had done to him – only wished that he hadn't tripped over the girl's body and this whole situation wouldn't have happened. Essentially he was blaming himself for what had occurred in the last week.

The Doctor was now fully healed from his injuries – the TARDIS infirmary having accelerated the healing, He leaned back against the blue doors watching as Rose and Martha said goodbye to Jary Kalco and Vicky, thanking them for their help. They both hoped that their lives would be simpler from now on since Baron had initiated plans to overhaul the justice system on dealing with the anger issues the population were now experiencing. They had already said their farewells to Baron, who was now knee-deep in paperwork in his office.

Rose and Martha approached the TARDIS, watching the departing forms of Jary and Vicky.

"Well? Ready to go onwards?" asked the Doctor, arms folded across his chest.

"Just as long as you don't take us into another dangerous situation," retorted Martha.

Rose burst out laughing and hastily stifled her giggles. "You must know by now that the Doctor is a magnet for trouble!"

"I am not!" The Doctor sounded offended, but there was a twinkle in his eyes suggesting that he agreed inwardly with his companion.

Rose elbowed him as she walked into the TARDIS. "You are, and you know it. Just you watch, Martha and I will be saving your backside once again, I promise you."

"You know, she's right," laughed Martha.

The Doctor shrugged. "Hey, it's not my fault that the entire universe is trying to kill me. Maybe I'm just too good for it to cope with me?"

"You are full of yourself!"

The Doctor smiled, winking at his friend. "Quite possibly, but that's what you love about me, right?"

"Maybe..." Martha opened the door to the TARDIS and stepped inside, holding it open for the Doctor. "Coming?"

He took once last glance around him and then walked into his beloved ship, heading towards an unknown future that was undoubtedly going to be filled with many dangers that would test the limits of himself and his companions. All of them had a long road ahead of them. But they would meet it head on and succeed because of the strength of their love and friendship with one another.

**-The End-**

**I hope you enjoyed this fic. So, please let me know what you think of the story overall. I did enjoy writing the mystery aspects of it. I don't know if I'll be writing any more Doctor Who fanfic, but if I do I will post a message on my profile. **

**This is me, signing out. **

**the-writer1988 **


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